THE British
Tourist Authority and English Tourism Council names are set to be scrapped
under sweeping Government plans to reform tourism marketing.
Culture secretary
Tessa Jowell also announced England will have a £10 million marketing budget
for the first time next year.
The BTA and ETC
are merging from April 1 to promote the UK at home and overseas. A new joint
name is expected to be announced
in the coming
months.
ETC chief
executive Mary Lynch faces an uncertain future, as BTA chief executive Tom
Wright is to head up the new body.
The news comes as
the BTA unveils its
‘Leading the World
to Britain’ strategy for 2003 and beyond. This involves greater use of the
Internet and regional promotions.