§ Mr. CummingsTo ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what measures she is taking to increase tourism to the north-east of England. [3388]
§ Mr. SproatGovernment support for tourism is channelled through the statutory British Tourist Authority and English tourist board. Through the ETB, support is made available to the 10 non-statutory regional tourist boards, including the Northumbria tourist board, which helps them undertake a variety of marketing and development activities of benefit to the tourism industry in their regions.
The Northumbria tourist board has been instrumental in widening the appeal of the region. In 1995, the number of UK and overseas visitors to the region rose by over 20 per cent. on 1994. Overseas visitor spend showed an impressive increase of 53 per cent. on the previous year.