Trade welcomes £40m campaign to attract tourists to UK
The trade has welcomed the launch of a new £40m advertising campaign aimed at attracting tourists back to the UK.
The move followed the release of new figures last week that show well-known tourist attractions are still failing to attract as many visitors as expected after the double-whammy of foot-and-mouth and the September 11 attacks, with some attractions still down on numbers by almost 20 per cent.
The Government is launching the advertising campaign on the back of this year's Golden Jubilee celebrations and aims to tempt more than a million foreign holidaymakers back to Britain.
Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell said the campaign would plug the UK as the place to visit this summer because of the Royal Family, the Commonwealth Games, English heritage and the beautiful countryside.
It is the most expensive promotion the tourism industry has ever seen and it is hoped it could save up to 75,000 jobs.
Ms Jowell said: "This is a genuine chance to help British tourism recover from the body blows of foot-and-mouth and the aftermath of the September 11 tragedy."
Bob Cotton, chief executive of the British Hospitality Association, welcomed the proposed investment.
He said: "Tourism and hospitality companies have made an equal contribution to planning and funding this £40m campaign.
"This is a unique example of the private and public sectors working together for the benefit of the UK economy as a whole."
Last week's report showed that London's tourist attractions were hit the worst by the dip in tourist numbers, with Westminster Abbey, St Paul's Cathedral and the Tower of London all suffering. Blackpool Pleasure Beach, Stonehenge and Canterbury Cathedral were also financially damaged.
Pubs in these areas have found it increasingly difficult to survive without the trade from passing tourists.
Tourism chiefs in some of the badly-affected areas say the future already looks brighter. They claim that the crisis in the pub trade caused by a lack of tourists is finally receding, with many visitors starting to return to the worst hit areas including the Lake District.
Related stories:
Rural trade on the up as effects of foot-and-mouth finally recede (26 February 2002)
