§ Mr. Gregoryasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much was expended in 1963, 1973 and the current year from Government funds in supporting the United Kingdom tourism industry expressed in terms of per thousand visitors to the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. Norman LamontI regret that the information is not available in the form requested by my hon. Friend. However, the following table shows details of direct Government financial support for tourism through the statutory tourist boards or their predecessor, together with the number of visitors to the United Kingdom, at 10-year intervals ending on the last complete year for which figures are available. The direct financial support shown in 1972–73 and 1982–83 was provided for encouragement of domestic tourism and for support of tourism projects as well as for overseas marketing.
Financial Year 1962–63 1972–73 1982–83 Financial support for tourist boards and Section 4 (£ million) 1.4 7.8 46.3
Calendar Year 1962 1972 1982 Number of Visitors to the United Kingdom (thousands) 7,488 7,459 11,637