Tourism (Cornwall) (Hansard, 2 November 1999)

§ Mr. Spring
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans he has to make official visits to tourist resorts in Cornwall in the next 12 months. [95898]
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§ Janet Anderson
My hon. Friend the Minister for the Arts and I have already made a number of official visits to Cornwall this year. These have included official visits to Falmouth, Newquay, Penzance, Newlyn and St. Ives. Ministers' diaries for the next 12 months have yet to be finalised. Invitations to make further visits to Cornwall will, of course, be given proper consideration. We are ever mindful of the importance of the tourist industry to the county of Cornwall, and will make supportive visits whenever we are able to do so.

§ Mr. Spring
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the state of the tourist industry in Cornwall in the current year, with particular reference to the effects of the eclipse. [95902]

§ Janet Anderson
I understand from the West Country Tourist Board, which has contributed to a report, produced for the West Cornwall Leader Project, into the economic impact of the eclipse on Cornwall, that an additional 400,000 visitors were in Cornwall for the eclipse on 11 August. In addition, the event generated an extra £51 million of visitor expenditure within the county.

§ Mr. Spring
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will make a statement about the funding and marketing of the Cornish tourism industry. [95903]

§ Janet Anderson
The West Country Tourist Board, which covers Cornwall, is receiving £497,000 from the English Tourism Council this year for projects which contribute to the national tourism strategy. Cornwall, in common with parts of England, also benefits from the work of the British Tourist Authority (BTA) which promotes Britain as a visitor destination in overseas markets. The BTA is receiving £36 million from my Department this year.
The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy estimates that local authority expenditure on tourism promotion in Cornwall in 1997–98 was £1.954 million. In addition, the European Regional Development Fund and local partners have funded the West Cornwall Leader Project, which aims to assist sectors of the West Cornwall economy, including tourism and Prosper, the Training and Enterprise Council for Devon and Cornwall which provides information, advice and training services to small businesses in the region.
In addition, tourism in Cornwall has also benefited, both directly and indirectly, from the National Lottery (projects in the county have received awards totalling £84.1 million according to DCMS's National Lottery Awards Database) and from other funding from the European Regional Development Fund. Tourism in Cornwall will benefit further from January next year, having been granted European Union Objective 1 status.