§ 16. Diana OrganTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment has been made of the number of(a) domestic and (b) overseas tourists in England this summer. [129567]
§ Mr. CabornThe latest figures show that the number of domestic tourist trips in England which include an overnight stay were 31.4 million between April and June 2003.
Figures for overseas tourists visiting England this summer will be available in January 2004. The latest figures for Britain show that, in the three months from May to July 2003, there were 6.9 million visits by overseas residents.
§ Mr. Andrew TurnerTo ask the Secretary of Stat for Culture, Media and Sport, what arrangements are in place to promote(a) England and (b) Britain overseas as tourist destinations. [129558]
§ Mr. CabornVisitBritain promotes the whole of Britain overseas, including England, as a tourist destination with £35.5 million Government funding this year and additional partnership funding from the industry. Their current campaigns include a campaign in the United States worth approximately £2 million and a £4 million "City Breaks" campaign in Europe launched last week.
§ 19. Mr. BestTo ask the Minister for State and Culture, Media and Sport what discussions her Department has had with regional development agencies on their progress in co-ordinating regional tourism strategies. [129570]
§ Mr. CabornI recently met the new Chair of the South West Regional Development Agency (who leads for the RDAs on tourism) and discussed the strategic role which the RDAs have been given in the reformed arrangements for tourism. I am looking forward to a forthcoming meeting with all the RDA Chairs to discuss progress. We have issued guidance to the RDAs on how tourism should be covered in their Corporate Plans and Regional Economic Strategies, which includes working together with each other within the new national framework for tourism strategy and marketing and have commented on draft Corporate Plans and related strategies in the light of this.