Ludlow MP's 'staycation' call to support county's struggling tourism industry

Ludlow's Philip Dunne was backing English Tourism Week, which finishes today, saying: "Tourism is a key part of the south Shropshire economy, but is clearly being hit very hard by the coronavirus pandemic.

"I joined North Shropshire MP Owen Paterson in a helpful virtual meeting with VisitShropshire this week, to learn more about work to promote Shropshire’s tourism sector during these difficult times. Messages were then put directly to the Minister for Tourism.

"Once it is safe to do so, I encourage those who might usually go overseas for a break this summer instead look at ‘staycationing’, and spending time getting to know the delights of south Shropshire.”

English Tourism Week is an annual celebration of the tourism industry, a week dedicated to showcasing England’s tourism offer. Tourism is one of England’s largest and most valuable industries, supporting hundreds of thousands of businesses, employing more than 2.6 million people and generating more than £106 billion a year for the English economy.

Between 2016 and 2018 south Shropshire welcomed on average 1,116,000 overnight trips per year, contributing £58m per year to the local economy.

Shropshire Council’s discretionary grant scheme opened for applications last week to help B&Bs and other small self-catering businesses which may have missed out from the Government’s grant scheme for hospitality and leisure businesses.

Visit shropshire.gov.uk/covid-19-grants to learn more.

VisitEngland is administering a £1.3m emergency fund to support local tourism organisations throughout the coronavirus outbreak. Under the scheme, destinations will be able to receive up to £2,500 per month for two members of non-furloughed staff who provide crucial business support services and up to £5,000 to cover operating costs.