At last, a hint of spring and a patch of blue sky – just in time for English Tourism week, an opportunity to showcase, celebrate and enjoy so much of what makes our country the 7th most visited in the world and a valuable industry in our town and along the coast.
Eastbourne’s own story is one built on its visitor economy with one in four local jobs linked to it. Our stunning coastline is known the world over and we have tremendous untapped potential too.
To help unleash that potential, I am hosting a roundtable of stakeholders soon. Kate Nicholls, CEO of UKHospitality and Patricia Yates of Visit England have both accepted my invitation to Eastbourne and I got the opportunity to speak with both leaders and the Tourism Minister, Julia Lopez this week in Parliament.
Tourism success means jobs and custom for local businesses. It also means top facilities for us to enjoy and more money in the council coffers to run local services and invest in local people and places.
I was delighted to secure even more government investment this month from the Towns Fund. A new board now needs to be set up pronto to create the vision and business plan behind a £20 million programme over the next ten years.
I’ve already had hundreds of contributions through my quick survey I am running on my website, and I will feed in all ideas because at the heart of this fund is that decisions are driven by local people. But an early question is, who in town will chair this new Board? We must work to a deadline of 1st June so the clock is ticking.
Tourism is lifeblood to our town and that’s why I worked so hard to see our seafront hotels released from asylum accommodation. It’s why I lobby so hard for support for hospitality businesses, why I support Gatwick’s future and petitioned for international student travel. It’s why on investment, I’m relentless in lifting the name of Eastbourne in Parliament. We are on the map.
So, to mark tourism week, it’s a huge thank you to all working in all hotels & B&Bs, pubs & eateries, attractions & transport providers, events teams and so many others. All you do and everything you bring to our town is what makes it. You don’t just provide jobs, you are the backdrop to our family events and community life. You help knit us together and that is priceless.
