Guido Schillig, Chair of Bournemouth & Poole International Education Forum/Managing Director of Anglo-Continental and Mark Smith, Director of Tourism in Bournemouth, met with the Prime Minister David Cameron today as he announced a five point plan to support tourism growth across the UK, during a visit to Cornwall.
Prime Minister, David Cameron, emphasised his commitment saying; “This Prime Minister is for Tourism.”
As part of a £5m South West Tourism Growth Fund announced by Government, a range of activity will take place to grow tourism; deliver economic growth and boost export earnings in the South West of England. Bournemouth Tourism will lead on the International Education aspect of the South West Growth Fund project, working with the South West region to deliver the campaign to this key tourism market.
Mark Smith, Director of Tourism in Bournemouth, said; “I’m proud to be working with VisitEngland, VisitBritain and colleagues across the South West to maximise the return on this valuable new international marketing investment.
“Being involved in this high profile regional campaign will be a significant boost to the local economy. Especially to the important international education business which already brings in a quarter of £1 billion per annum in export earnings to Bournemouth and Poole.”
Guido Schillig, Chair of Bournemouth & Poole International Education Forum, said; “I am absolutely delighted with this new funding. It will allow new partnerships to be formed across the South West and together we will be looking to generate a significant number of extra jobs in this fast-growing world-wide industry, through raising our profile around the world.”
VisitEngland’s Chief Executive James Berresford said; “Our ambition for the South West Tourism Growth Fund is to work closely with VisitBritain and partner destinations to create an additional visitor spend of £60m, supporting the creation of 1,000 jobs to boost the South West visitor economy.”
The South West Tourism Growth Fund
The South West Tourism Growth Fund for tourism investment was announced by Government on the 5th March 2015 to grow tourism, deliver economic growth and boost export earnings in the South West of England. The total programme expenditure will be £10m, consisting of the core £5m funding from Central Government and £5m estimated match funding from partners in the public and private sectors. Match funding will be both cash funding and in-kind. This fund will be managed by VisitEngland, working closely with international delivery partner VisitBritain and partner organisations from across the South West of England.
About Bournemouth
- With seven miles of golden sands and frequently warmer than average temperatures, the vibrant, cosmopolitan town of Bournemouth has it all. As well as a vast array of shops, restaurants, cliff-top hotels, bed and breakfast accommodation, the UK’s premier destination boasts historic gardens, an award-winning seafront and a buzzing nightlife.
- Voted the UK’s Best Coastal Resort in the British Travel Awards 2014, Bournemouth’s excellent transport links, including an airport and trains direct from London Waterloo, make it the perfect base for exploring the history, heritage and picture-perfect scenery of Dorset.
- Surrounded by rolling countryside, Bournemouth enjoys 2,000 acres of parks and gardens located in the centre of the resort. The Lower, Central and Upper Gardens are Grade II listed and date back to the Victorian era. Bournemouth seafront features four Blue Flag beaches, two iconic piers and almost 2,000 beach huts, as well as the resort’s distinctive land trains and cliff lifts.
- A sublime mix of evocative Victorian history alongside modern living, Bournemouth is a bustling yet picturesque destination with a wealth of accommodation and activities to suit all tastes and budgets. www.bournemouth.co.uk
About VisitEngland
- VisitEngland is the country’s national tourist board. We work in partnership with the industry to develop the visitor experience across England, plan national tourism strategy, grow the value of tourism in England and provide advocacy for the industry and our visitors. Our work is underpinned by robust research and customer insights.
- Over the last five years VisitEngland has invested over £57m of Government funding in English tourism. These investments have generated over £1.5 billion growth in visitor spending and to date have created over 28,000 jobs.
- England is a unique destination and a real powerhouse in global tourism. It represents 84 per cent of the total UK visitor economy, is worth £106 billion, and supports 2.6 million jobs.
- For further information and to access the latest in-depth market intelligence and statistics visit www.visitengland.com/biz or www.visitengland.com for consumer information.