Cumbria Tourism will be championing the voice of rural tourism, at a special public hearing in the Houses of Parliament today, Tuesday 30 October 2018.
The organisation’s Managing Director, Gill Haigh, has been invited to give evidence to the House of Lords Select Committee on the Rural Economy alongside a panel of other experts on tourism and rural heritage issues, including VisitBritain and The National Trust.
It’s part of a programme of public hearings the Select Committee is running to learn more about the key issues and challenges relating to the rural economy. Today’s session will focus on the contribution of tourism to local economies and communities in areas such as Cumbria.
Skills, employment and Government policy around tourism are all expected to feature in the session at the Palace of Westminster. Other themes covered may include the impact of Brexit, as well as infrastructure and planning issues.
The hearing is also expected to explore the support and advice available to rural tourism and heritage businesses, as well as the potential opportunities within the Government’s plans for local industrial strategies to strengthen the tourism industry in the UK.
Gill Haigh, says, “Cumbria’s £2.9billion visitor economy supports almost 65,000 jobs, making it a key employer and a vital part of the county’s future growth and prosperity.
“As one of the largest Destination Management Organisations in the UK, lobbying national decision-makers is a core part of the activity we undertake on behalf of our 2,500 tourism member businesses and we are proud to have been given this opportunity to highlight some of the issues and challenges faced by these businesses on a day-to-day level.”
Gill Haigh will be joined on the panel by VisitBritain’s Director of Strategy and Communications, Patricia Yates, and the South West Regional Director of the National Trust, Rebecca Burton.
