Andrew joined The White Swan at Fence to shine a spotlight on the local area’s tourism industry in a week devoted to travel and exploration during English Tourism Week (ETW) 30 March - 7 April 2019.
Now in its eighth 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 and most valuable industries. English tourism directly employ more than 2.6m people and generate over £106 billion a year for the British economy. English destinations are also a huge draw for overseas visits – in the first nine months of 2018 there were a record 11.9 million visits to English regions outside London. International visitors spent £5.7 billion across England’s regions during this period. Locally the (Insert region) region welcomed (insert inbound visits) inbound visitors in 2017, with these visitors spending (insert inbound spend).
Domestic tourism in England is also driving growth and supporting jobs. In the first 11 months of 2018 there were 42.7 million domestic holiday trips in England, with these holidaymakers spending £10.4 billion in the same period. Domestic tourism in (insert region) was worth (insert domestic spend) to the local economy in 2017 with (insert domestic visits) traveling to the region in this same period.
English Tourism Week is particularly special this year, as we celebrate 50 years as the British Tourist Authority (BTA). The Development of Tourism Act was passed in 1969 and VisitBritain/VisitEngland are using this milestone to look back on the importance of tourism progression and its value to destinations across the nations and regions, local businesses and to champion the future of tourism as one of the UK’s biggest drivers of economic growth and employment.
Andrew said: “I’m delighted to join the Michelin-star winning White Swan at Fence to celebrate English Tourism Week. They have become one of Pendle’s best attractions, drawing people to our area and boosting the local economy.
“England does have so much to offer and the North West is no exception. I’m encouraged by the work VisitEngland are doing to help businesses in Pendle to benefit from domestic tourism.”
VisitEngland Director Andrew Stokes said: “English Tourism Week is a fantastic opportunity to shout about the many hidden gems that England has to offer. Whether it is the contemporary culture in our vibrant cities, our countryside’s beautiful landscapes or our seaside destinations there is so much to see and do and we want as many people and businesses to get involved as possible.
“We really have a fantastic week to look forward to in what is arguably the most exciting week of England’s tourism industry calendar, inspiring more Brits to explore England in springtime and throughout the summer as we celebrate our valuable industry, boosting its profile and acknowledging the hard-working people who go above and beyond for our visitors.”
