The British Hospitality Association (BHA) has given a cautious welcome to the aid injection of £1m into the marketing budget for rural tourism by the Government.

However, the association has warned the money must be spent wisely in order to help beleaguered businesses affected by the recent floods and the foot-and-mouth outbreak in Surrey.

VisitBritain is to receive £750,000 in additional funds from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).

It has also been granted permission to use £250,000 of its annual budget specifically to promote rural tourism locations to negate any negativity generated by the extensive flooding and disease scare.

BHA chief executive Bob Cotton told Caterer: “I do not want to see Yorkshire, the West Midlands and the South West with separate campaigns all competing with each other. On this occasion they need to work together.”

VisitBritain will launch its campaign using the money this weekend, communicating to tourists that the countryside is very much still open for business.

Culture Secretary James Purnell, said: “I want to remind people across the country of the wealth of world class cultural and leisure opportunities on our doorsteps.”

“We’ll be making sure that overseas visitors are reminded just how much there is to do in Britain,” he added.

Government to give rural UK marketing fund boost >>

Hospitality flood cost likely to be millions >>

Latest foot-and-mouth outbreak unlikely to hit industry >>

By Christopher Walton

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