§ Mr. FearnTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what incentives the Government make available to farmers to encourage tourism in the English countryside. [150131]
§ Janet AndersonThe England rural development programme's rural enterprise scheme will help farmers and others to develop tourism and craft initiatives in order to assist in the development of more sustainable, diversified and enterprising rural economies and communities. Rural England will receive, in total, around £152 million of rural enterprise scheme funding from April 2001 to the end of 2006. The programme's agri-environment measures also help to promote tourism by encouraging farmers to conserve and enhance the232W intrinsic attractiveness of English landscapes. Similar funding arrangements exist for areas classified as objective 1 for European structural funds support.
§ Mr. FearnTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what incentives are provided to local residents in rural tourist resorts to encourage them to promote tourism in their town; and to whom these incentives are targeted. [150093]
§ Janet AndersonA range of funding bodies and sources is available to assist rural communities and the rural economy, including in relation to tourism. The regional development agencies support a broad range of projects generated by local partnerships and voluntary groups to address regeneration through the single regeneration budget, the capital investment fund and their rural development programme. Support is also available from the Countryside Agency and the European structural funds. The EU LEADER+ programme will complement these mainstream programmes by piloting integrated bottom-up rural development strategies developed and implemented by local community action groups. The programme aims to help rural communities to help themselves in developing a sustainable rural economy, which may include sustainable tourism based on local distinctiveness. Rural England will receive around £32 million of LEADER+ funding from 2001 to the end of 2006.
§ Mr. FearnTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much money was spent by tourists visiting rural areas of north-west England in(a) 1998, (b) 1999 and (c) 2000. [150133]
§ Janet AndersonSpending by domestic and overseas tourists visiting the two regional tourist board areas in north-west England was as follows:
£ million 1998 1999 North West Tourist Board 1,393 1,595 Cumbria Tourist Board 429 600 Separate figures for rural areas are not kept, but the North West Tourist Board estimates that approximately 56 per cent. of spend was in rural areas, while the Cumbria Tourist Board estimates that approximately 79 per cent. of spend was in rural areas.
Figures for 2000 are not yet available.