Howells urges seaside resorts to join forces with rural areas

Howells urges seaside resorts to join forces with rural areas

Seaside resorts should work in partnership with rural areas and not set themselves up in competition, according to tourism minister Kim Howells.

Speaking after a visit to Devon in the aftermath of the foot and mouth crisis, Howells said that while some seaside towns were doing well, just a few hundred metres away many bed-and-breakfast properties were verging on bankruptcy.

“Resort towns are big regional centres for the rural hinterland. They should be the biggest assets these regions have,” he said.

Warning of the dangers of working in isolation, he said it was time to stop viewing rural and seaside resorts as separate entities and encourage their closeness.

Howells urged the industry to reinvent its many elements and to create new partnerships for investment. Howells’ comments came after British Incoming Tour Operators Association chief executive Richard Tobias noted that while the farming industry stood to win as much as £2 billion in assistance, tourism was often ignored by Government.

Howells: work together