§ Mr. Nigel EvansTo ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what measures are being taken to promote domestic tourism in England.
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§ Mr. KeyThe promotion of domestic tourism in England is undertaken by the English tourist board, ETB, which is grant-aided by my Department, and by the regional tourist boards, which receive funding from the ETB. Grant in aid to the ETB totals £15.4 million during the current financial year. Details of the boards' promotional and other activities appear in the ETB's annual report for 1991–92, a copy of which is in the Library.
§ Mr. Nigel EvansTo ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage how many tourists have visited Britain in each year since 1981.
§ Mr. KeyInformation on overseas tourism in the United Kingdom is published regularly in the quarterly and annual "Business Monitors" MQ6 and MA6 "Overseas Travel and Tourism", which may be obtained from the Library of the House.
§ Mr. Nigel EvansTo ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what are the 10 most popular English tourist resorts for domestic holidaymakers taking their annual holidays; and what is their average length of stay.
§ Mr. KeyInformation is not currently available from the domestic travel surveys on the most popular tourist resorts. The United Kingdom tourism survey, sponsored by the statutory tourist boards, showed that in 1991, the average number of nights per trip in the United Kingdom was 4.2.
§ Mr. Nigel EvansTo ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what five(a) European and (b) non-European countries are responsible for the highest number of tourists visiting England.
§ Mr. KeyThe available information is shown in the table:
Number of visits to England by overseas residents in 1991 Country of residence Visits (thousands) (a) Top five European countries1 Germany 1,770 France 1,747 Netherlands 847 Italy 671 Spain 590 (b) Top five non-European countries United States of America 2,128 Canada 468 Australia 434 Japan 430 Republic of South Africa 167 1 Figures for visits by residents of the Irish Republic to England are not available.
§ Mr. Nigel EvansTo ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what is the average length of stay for overseas tourists visiting England.
§ Mr. KeyAccording to the international passenger survey, the average length of stay of those overseas residents who stayed at least one night in England in 1991 was 11.1 nights.
§ Mr. Nigel EvansTo ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what are the 10 most popular day trip resorts in England; and how many people visited each of them in the year 1991.
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§ Mr. KeyThe 10 most popular local authority districts in terms of day trips were:
Local Authority visited Number of trips (millions) Birmingham 11 Manchester 8 Blackpool 6 Bristol 5 Chester 5 East Lindsey 5 Leeds 5 West Derbyshire 5 Bradford 4 Brighton 4 Source: Leisure Day Visits Survey (1988–89).
Note: The table excludes Greater London, to which there were about 68 million trips.
§ Mr. Nigel EvansTo ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will list the five overseas countries whose tourists spend the most money per individual when visiting England, with the amount listed.
§ Mr. KeyThe information is shown in the table:
Expenditure by overseas residents who visited England in 1991 Top five countries of residence Country of residence Average expenditure per visit £ Kuwait 1,685 Nigeria 1,285 Saudi Arabia 1,218 Libya 1,210 Turkey 1,209 Source: International Passenger Survey.
§ Mr. Nigel EvansTo ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what measures are being taken to promote England as a destination for overseas tourists.
§ Mr. KeyMy Department funds the British Tourist Authority, which has responsibility for promoting Britain overseas. The authority undertakes, with tourist industry support, a wide range of marketing and promotional activities to attract overseas visitors to all parts of Britain. It works closely with the English regional tourist boards to encourage visitors to all parts of the country.