This week in Westminster I spoke at the Tourism Alliance’s AGM in my role as the Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). Tourism is a significant chunk of the DCMS brief and is also a large part of our vibrant economy in South Derbyshire, from our National Forest to our wonderful village fairs.
Tourism, over the last five years, has provided hundreds of thousands of jobs for the UK as a whole and has certainly helped South Derbyshire achieve its incredibly low unemployment figure of less than 1%.
Last weekend I attended the opening of the fantastic new Swadlincote Golf Centre and it was great to see so many there supporting this great new addition to our local area and economy. I am sure the centre will attract Golfing enthusiasts from all over the country and I look forward to hearing more good news and successes from them in the future.
As well as the new Golf Centre we have the continuing success stories of Mercia Marina in Willington and the Swadlincote Dry Ski Centre which attract people from far and wide. Since Mercia Marina was completed a few years ago it has gone from strength to strength and the opening of The Boardwalk and the retail outlets has attracted countless extra visitors to what was already a lovely venue. The Marina also encourages people to take an interest in our waterways and canals which have played a major role in our local history.
Visitors to our area have other great attractions to visit which provide lots of fun and education for all the family. We have Calke Abbey, Melbourne Hall, Foremark Reservoir and Etwall Well Dressings amongst many others.
One of the big success stories is South Derbyshire’s involvement in the creation of the National Forest. It is the most ambitious environmental project in Britain linking Needwood and Charnwood forests, plus other smaller ones, and, with nearly 8 million new trees planted to date it is leading the way in conservation and is a great place for people to visit and enjoy.
I know some small business owners, especially in the Tourism Sector, are concerned about the extra staffing costs associated with the introduction of the Living Wage. I want to assure them that not only is it the right thing to do, it will be beneficial to our economy as a whole and with other taxation changes companies will be better off so overall it is not to be feared.
So, whether you are having a ‘staycation’ or days out this Summer I encourage everyone to visit the attractions in South Derbyshire and take advantage of what we have available in our own back yard.
(This piece was originally written for the Burton Mail).