Heather Wheeler, Member of Parliament for South Derbyshire, joined with Swadlincote Tourist Information Centre and Chairman of South Derbyshire District Council, Cllr Michael Stanton, to highlight South Derbyshire’s tourism industry during English Tourism Week which runs from 17th-25th March 2018.
Now in its seventh year, English Tourism Week raises the profile and showcases the benefits of the tourism industry to local communities and the economy.
Tourism is one of England’s largest industries. It directly supports more than 2.6m jobs and generates over £106 billion a year for the English economy. England has seen strong growth in visits from overseas – in the first nine months of 2017 there were a record 12.7 million visits to English regions outside London, up 4% compared to the same period in 2016. International visitors spent £6.1 billion across England’s regions during this period.
Latest VisitEngland statistics show that from January to November 2017 British citizens took more than 44 million domestic holidays in England, spending more than £10 billion, up five and six per cent respectively compared to the same period in 2016.
Following on from her visit, Heather said:
“I dropped into The Delph today to promote English Tourism Week and support some of the people driving tourism for us here locally.
Gail Archer, Tourist Information Manager at the Swadlincote Tourist Information Centre, has put in a lot of work to get local businesses such as Terry Bushell Travel, Field Sport UK, Swiftsure Travel and Anastasia Tapper to exhibit.
I hope that people will continue to consider ‘staycations’ and explore some of what South Derbyshire and the UK has to offer.”
VisitEngland Director, Andrew Stokes said:
“English Tourism Week is all about celebrating the value and quality of tourism in England, and there are many great reasons to explore what’s on your doorstep.
The range of activities from our quiet and cosy countryside to our roaring and vibrant cities gives our nation a rare flare you would struggle to find elsewhere in the world. And all steeped in our rich and wonderful heritage.
The whole industry comes together during English Tourism Week to showcase the variety of tourism products across the country engaging locals and encouraging them to be tourists within their own area.”