§ Mr. WatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of(a) the number of family-run hotels in the United Kingdom and (b) the percentage of the foreign earnings attributable to United Kingdom hotels arising from the family-run sector; and if he will make a statement. [39991]
§ Mr. Tom ClarkeA 'family-run hotel' is not a category identified in the statistics available. However, the English Tourist Board estimate that there are around 30,000 family-run hotels, guest houses and bed and breakfast establishments in the UK out of a total of approximately 44,500. Expenditure by the 26.2 million overseas visitors in 1996 was £12.37 billion. Of those visitors, 21 million stayed in serviced accommodation.