§ Mr. Mark FieldTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what her expenditure has been on the promotion of tourism in Britain in the last 12 months. [67785]
§ Dr. HowellsThe British Tourist Authority (BTA) promotes Britain overseas as a tourist destination. Its baseline funding was £35.5 million in 2001–02 and is £35.5 million in 2002–03. In addition, the BTA received £14.2 million from the reserve in 2001–02 to combat the impact of the outbreak of foot and mouth disease and in 2002–03 the Government committed up to £20 million from the reserve for the "Million Visitor" tourism recovery campaign, to be matched by contributions from the industry in cash and in kind.
Baseline funding for English tourism rose from £10 million in 2001–02 to £12 million this year. The English Tourism Council has also been awarded funds for e-tourism projects: an award of £0.9 million was made in 2001 from the Capital Modernisation Fund and £3.6 million in 2002 from the Invest to Save Budget.
The promotion of tourism within Scotland and Wales is a matter for the devolved Administrations.