HC Deb 12 April 1988 vol 131 cc39-41W
Mr. David Porter

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a further statement on the development of tourism in the rural areas.

Mr. Lee

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Devon, West and Torridge (Miss Nicholson),Official Report, Monday 7 December 1987, at column 30. The English tourist board's rural tourism strategy referred to in my reply will be published later this year.

Mr. David Porter

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a further statement on the development of tourism in the seaside resorts.

Mr. Lee

Seaside resorts play an important role in English tourism. But the quality of the accommodation and attractions they offer needs to be maintained and improved. The English tourist board is helping resorts through its marketing activities, tourism development action programmes, and the section 4 scheme of selective financial assistance.

Mr. David Porter

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many overseas tourists visited Suffolk and Norfolk in the last year for which figures are available; and how much he estimates they contributed to the local economy.

Mr. Lee

There were an estimated 120,000 overnight visits to Suffolk and 130,000 overnight visits to Norfolk by overseas visitors in 1986. Their expenditure is estimated to have been £19 million in Suffolk and £23 million in Norfolk.

Mr. David Porter

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the number of people employed in tourism and tourism-related industry in Suffolk and Norfolk.

Mr. Lee

The latest estimates of employees in employment in tourism-related industries, which relate to September 1984, are 12,900 for Suffolk and 16,200 for Norfolk. These estimates do not include the self-employed, for whom comparable estimates are not available.

Mr. David Porter

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is being done overseas to promote holidays in East Anglia.

Mr. Lee

The British Tourist Authority has, in conjunction with the East Anglia tourist board, developed a range of overseas promotional activities to encourage visitors to East Anglia. These include the publication and distribution of brochures on holidays in East Anglia, and special promotions aimed at overseas travel agents.

Mr. David Porter

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is being done in the United Kingdom to promote holidays in East Anglia.

Mr. Lee

The promotion of holidays in East Anglia is undertaken by individual operators and resorts in the area, complemented by the work of the English tourist board and the East Anglia tourist board.

The prime objective of the East Anglia tourist board is to improve the region's share of the holiday market. In the 1987/88 financial year the East Anglia tourist board spent some £643,000 on promoting holidays in East Anglia. This represented an increase of some 23 per cent. on the previous financial year.

Mr. David Porter

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the development of the caravan, holiday park and water-based holiday industry in East Anglia.

Mr. Lee

These sectors of the holiday industry play a major role in East Anglian tourism. But continued investment and upgrading of facilities is essential to counter the increased competition from both this country and abroad.

The tourism industry in the area will benefit from the English tourist board's recently launched tourism development action programme for Norwich, South Norfolk and Broadland. The Center Pares holiday village near Thetford due to open in spring 1989 will also significantly increase the number of visitors to the area.

The caravan and holiday park industry is benefiting from the efforts of the National Caravan Council and the British Holiday and Home Parks Association to raise standards and improve quality through their codes of practice and grading scheme.

The Broads boating holiday industry will gain from initiatives by the English tourist board and British Tourist Authority to promote water-based holidays in England. The diversification into good quality riverside self-catering accommodation by some of the traditional boatyards should also help bring additional visitors and extend the season.