A Message from Marc Etches

Welcome to the June edition of our newsletter!

This month the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympic, Media and Sport, Jeremy Hunt MP has delivered his first speech on tourism in which he acknowledged that “the tourism industry is one of our most undervalued national assets”.

He went on to issue a challenge to the industry to drive up the proportion of domestic tourism expenditure in the UK from 36% of total tourism spending to 50%.

In issuing this challenge, the Secretary of State asked stakeholders engaged with tourism to inform him about what needs to be done to support and reinvigorate our domestic tourism industry. The Minister for Tourism and Heritage, John Penrose MP will be undertaking a tour of England over the next three months to gather local views and insight.

I have written to the Minister inviting him to include Lincolnshire. Despite being the second largest county in England, Lincolnshire is a visitor destination that is comparatively less well-known than the Lake District, the Cotswolds and Cornwall.

However, the county does possess authenticity and diversity in its product that can match these successful destinations; from historic market towns such as Stamford to the architectural magnificence of Lincoln Cathedral, from the traditional seaside holidays in Skegness to the Lincolnshire Wolds, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

17 million tourists generate almost £1 billion of GVA and supports 17,000 jobs in Lincolnshire and with the growing interest in domestic tourism, the county represents a ‘hidden gem’, widely unknown and unexplored.

The key to growing domestic tourism lies in developing a sense of pride of place within communities, and in recognising the vital importance of local knowledge. In 2008, 55% of the total 96 million overnight trips in the UK were business-related (16%) or involved visiting friends or relatives (39%). 42% of all overnight stays are spent in the homes of friends or relatives. For most day trips, consumers do not seek information (52%), but when they do the internet (35%) and friends and relatives (23%) are by far the most important sources.

I hope that these facts combined with an opportunity to discuss our innovative approach to tourism as an important element of the wider visitor economy will encourage the Minister to accept our invitation.

Thank you.

If you missed it - Read an overview of the Secretary of State's Speech on Tourism here.