£4m boost to tourism unveiled

A multi-million pound advertising campaign to persuade people to stay at home and holiday in England was launched on Wednesday.

St George's day, April 23 was picked to begin the £4 million campaign, which is being spearheaded by the new tourism body charged with marketing England within Britain, VisitBritain.

The campaign aims to encourage British people to rediscover England for a holiday or a short break and will focus on the diversity of England’s countryside, cities, heritage and sport, and help inform people on how to book quality holidays.

Tourism minister Kim Howells, who helped launch the campaign, said he thought it was a good time to promote holidays nearer home.

"This campaign is about reminding the British what the rest of the world already knows - just how much this country has to offer," Mr Howells said.

VisitBritain chief executive Tom Wright added: "Through this campaign, we want the British to be as excited by England as our 20 million overseas visitors."

The campaign, entitled Enjoy England, will include a television advert for the first time in 10 years.

British tourism has taken several major hits over the past few years. One of the more enduring centred around the foot-and-mouth outbreak of 2001, with many foreign visitors put off by images of burning carcasses, and domestic travellers hampered by restrictions. Tourism figures were also hampered by the global effects of the aftermath of 11 September which saw a noticeable drop in American tourists, one of Britain’s strongest staple tourist ingredients.

(AMcE)