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•  First recipients of Discover England fund announced to encourage tourists to travel beyond London
•  Government publishes Tourism Action Plan

Towns and cities from across England will benefit from a £40 million fund to deliver new tourism outside London and ease travel around Britain, helping visitors from abroad as well as Brits holidaying at home to explore the wealth of tourism opportunities across the country.

The announcement comes as we go into the August bank holiday – the perfect time to enjoy the world class attractions the UK has to offer.

The first grants from the £40 million Discover England fund have been awarded to projects and organisations in different geographic areas to join up and create offers that can attract tourism outside of London.

Funding will go on projects to shine a spotlight on some of the country’s great cultural and sporting assets, from music festivals to championship golf courses and our world-class cuisine. This investment in tourism and support for local businesses will ensure that Britain remains a world beating destination for visitors from across the globe.

2015 was a record-breaking year for UK tourism - with over 36 million overseas visitors spending £22.1 billion. The tourism industry and the Government are working hand in hand to build on this success to generate more investment and jobs right across the country.

The Government has also today, Friday 26 August, published its Tourism Action Plan which includes a series of new initiatives and measures to help Britain out-compete other major tourism destinations, welcoming more international visitors than ever before and see more “staycations” as Brits holiday at home.

The new initiatives include:

• Making travel easier with a new GREAT tourism rail offer, including five new easy to book rail itineraries to help tourists seamlessly travel around the UK. The Government in association with VisitBritain and the Rail Delivery Group will launch a competition for five pairs of people to road-test the itineraries.
• Addressing the industry’s seasonal nature through a flexible apprenticeship scheme that allows training to be completed over 16-18 months rather than 12, with breaks included.
• Cutting red tape with sensible regulation by changing licensing to allow B&Bs to offer a welcome drink, and modifying vehicle licensing will allow B&B owners to pick up visitors from train stations.

This work is supported by industry partners including:

• A £10.2m partnership between VisitBritain and Expedia to market Britain abroad to key markets including USA, Germany and France.

Prime Minister Theresa May said:

“Tourism is vitally important to the UK and the sector goes from strength to strength. Our stunning scenery, centuries-old monuments and cultural traditions continue to draw visitors from both home and abroad.

“The British people’s decision to leave the European Union creates real opportunities for growth and we will work in close partnership with the tourism industry, to ensure it continues to thrive as negotiations on the UK’s exit progress.

“We are making it easier for visitors to travel beyond London and experience all of the world-class attractions the UK has to offer, to make sure the benefits of this thriving industry are felt by the many and not the few.”

“We will make sure Britain is even more attractive, accessible and welcoming to visitors.”

Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Karen Bradley said:

“With world-class museums, fantastic heritage sites and stunning countryside the UK has a lot to offer tourists - from both home and abroad.

“Through the Discover England Fund and working with the industry, I look forward to helping further strengthen tourism outside of London to ensure that growth from the sector is enjoyed right across the country.”

This comes as the Communities Minister Andrew Percy sets out plans to establish 20 new coastal communities teams in our seaside towns, that are so vital to the tourist economy. This will build on the work of the 118 team of volunteers already working to make their communities better places in coastal towns around the country.

Coastal Communities Minister Andrew Percy said:

“Across our Great British Coast we’ve got an amazing variety of resorts to be proud of from Cleethorpes to Brighton and beyond.

“People in those areas can now come together and bid for Government cash to revive tourist attractions to their former glory.

“We’ve got sight-seeing gems that are a match for anywhere in the world and I’d urge families to take a trip down to the seaside to discover them.”

Links here to the action plan - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/tourism-action-plan 

Notes to Editors
• Details of the first round of successful projects include:

Telling the Stories of England
UK Countryside Tours will develop packaged, themed itineraries focused on rural tourism targeted at the US market. These will include thematic and geographic tours that tell the story of England’s history, nature and landscape, people and culture.

South West Coast – Amazing Experiences
The South West Coastal Path Association’s project will address the demand from overseas visitors to improve access to a holiday exploring the coast of the SW. It will achieve this through the creation of a range of 3, 7 and 14-visitor itineraries that combine the walks, scenery, things to do, places to eat and sleep along with the logistics of how to travel from place to place.

Gardens, Gourmet and Going Local
VisitKent’s project will provide international visitors with a world-class, integrated, bookable product to explore England’s regional gardens and gourmet offer. They will collaborate with Leisure Pass Group to offer a bookable Garden & Gourmet pass.

Golf Tourism England
Golf Tourism England will create easily bookable itineraries, promote experiences and unite the trade network to drive the inbound golf tourism market in England.

England’s Seafood Coast
English Riviera Tourism Company’s project will lay the groundwork for the transformation of the Riveria’s status as an international seafood destination. This project will map the current English Rivieria seafood product and visitor experiences to ensure it can be joined up and packaged for visitors.

Incentive England
Currently incentive travel to the UK is directed at London and Scotland. Leopold Marketing’s project will identify and map suitable international incentive products, develop itineraries and coach tourism businesses on its importance.

Self-Guided Activity App
Compass Holidays will expand an existing tourism app with technological upgrades that will drive footfall and make it easier to book partner local tourism products. Local businesses will have free profiles and interactive features, driving footfall to attractions, towns and public transport routes, and maximising revenue.