§ Mr. BradshawTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what proposals he has to help tourism businesses affected by the foot and mouth outbreak. [159904]
§ Janet AndersonAs a member of the rural task force, I have actively been proposing measures to help tourism businesses affected by the foot and mouth outbreak. A package of financial measures to help tourist businesses was announced by the chairman of the task force on 20 March 2001,Official Report, columns 191–210. In addition, an extra £24 million for RDAs across the country was announced by DETR on 7 May. This will provide direct help to thousands of rural businesses affected by the foot and mouth outbreak, including grant aid of up to £15,000. This builds on the £15 million already given to the RDAs in the four worst affected areas to provide direct support to businesses and help with promotional campaigns.
We have also announced a package of help for the promotion of tourism to both the domestic and international markets. On 6 April, my Department announced that £3.8 million in additional funding was being made available to the English Tourism Council (ETC) for an advertising and promotion campaign to restore public confidence in visiting the countryside. We also announced that £2.2 million in additional funding was being made available to the British Tourist Authority (BTA) for the promotion of tourism overseas. On 2 May, a further £12 million was made available to support the BTA's marketing campaigns to get the message across to our key overseas markets that Britain is still a great place for a holiday.