§ Mr. HoyleTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans his Department has to create new incentives and grants to develop tourist attractions in the UK and create new jobs in the tourism industry. [65717]
§ Janet Anderson[holding answer 14 January 1999]: New and existing attractions are benefiting from the National Lottery and, in eligible areas of the UK, from the European Regional Development Fund. The new strategy for tourism which we shall be publishing soon, will include action to help the attractions sector, and the tourism industry as a whole, maximise its potential to create jobs.
§ Mr. HoyleTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what percentage of jobs in the north-west depend on tourism; [65713]
(2) what estimates he has made of the number of people employed in tourism. [65720]
§ Janet Anderson[holding answer 14 January 1999]: It is estimated that there were 1.8 million self-employment and employee jobs in the tourism-related industries in Great Britain in September 1998.
An estimated 7 per cent. of the total self-employment and employee jobs in the north-west were located within the tourism-related industries in September 1998.
§ Mr. HoyleTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) if he will estimate the turnover from tourism in the UK in each year for the next five years; [65721]
(2) how much revenue was generated through tourism by overseas visitors in the most recent year for which figures are available; and what estimates he has made of projected turnover for the next five years. [65712]
§ Janet Anderson[holding answer 14 January 1999]: Tourism by overseas visitors generated an estimated £12.2 billion in the UK in 1997 according to the latest figures from the International Passenger Survey. In the first 10 months of 1998, overseas visitors have spent an estimated £10.8 billion in the UK, a 4 per cent. increase on the amount spent in the equivalent period in 1997.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport does not make any projections of future turnover from tourism in the UK.
§ Mr. HoyleTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what grants are available to promote the conversion of farmhouses for tourism in the north-west. [65719]
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§ Janet Anderson[holding answer 14 January 1999): Farm tourism is growing in importance, with a 3 per cent. increase in visitors between 1996 and 1997. In areas where agriculture or traditional industries are in decline, tourism can help economic development and create jobs.
Funding to encourage a wide range of agricultural activities, including the conversion of farmhouses for tourism, is available in the north-west under the Merseyside Objective 1 and the Northern Uplands Objective 5b programmes. Grants are made through the Merseyside Farm Tourism Initiative Project in the Objective 1 designated area and the Northern Uplands Farm Tourism Initiative in the Objective 5b designated area.
In addition, The Redundant Building Grant Scheme, currently operated by the Rural Development Commission, can provide grants for the conversion or refurbishment of redundant buildings to bring them back into productive business use or to enhance their current business use.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has produced a series of advisory booklets on farm diversification in order to assist farmers in developing successful diversified enterprises.
§ Mr. HoyleTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much revenue and what new grants have been made available to promote tourism in the north-west in 1998. [65718]
§ Janet Anderson[holding answer 14 January 1999]: The north-west, like all parts of England, benefits from the work of the British Tourist Authority and of the English Tourist Board. For 1998–99, the BTA has a grant of £35 million and the ETB a grant of £9.7 million, of which £292,000 is for the North West Tourist Board. New support structures, announced on 14 December, official report, column 352, will ensure more effective use is made of this money in the future, with a greater proportion going to the regions.
Government support for tourism is not limited to the funding of tourist boards. An important part of what makes this country attractive to tourists from home and abroad is our arts, museums and galleries. This year DCMS will spend around £1 billion in support of them.
In addition, tourism in the north-west has benefited, both directly and indirectly, from National Lottery funding (nearly £450 million has gone to the region), and from the European Regional Development Fund.
Increasingly, local authorities, tourist boards and the private sector are working together to promote and develop tourism in their areas and some excellent examples of such partnerships are to be found in the north-west. Our strategy for tourism, to be published next month, will support such initiatives. We shall be putting forward a wide range of action points designed to ensure that tourism delivers benefits for local communities, individual tourists and the economy.