Tourism minister visits Blackpool
Today I was proud to welcome Tourism Minister Stephanie Peacock to Blackpool.
As chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Tourism and Hospitality, I've worked closely with Stephanie for the last two years in Westminster, repeatedly telling her and other senior colleagues all the reasons why Blackpool is the beating heart of British seaside tourism and why it deserves recognition and investment at the very top of government. So I was delighted when I heard the minister had chosen Blackpool for a summer staycation – a clear vote of confidence for what our town has to offer and reassurance that my message is cutting through.
Despite me insisting to colleagues in Westminster that it’s always sunny in Blackpool, the weather had other ideas today. We'd barely got going on Aviktas, the Pleasure Beach's brand new ride, when the heavens opened – but it didn't stop us having the best time, along with hundreds of other people enjoying the theme park today. We were warmly welcomed by Amanda Thompson, managing director of the Pleasure Beach, to hear directly from her about what's working and what isn’t for tourism businesses.
Braving Aviktas in the rain today with Tourism Minister Stephanie Peacock
Next we headed to the famous Winter Gardens, and its crowning glory – the Empress Ballroom, which the minister remembered from Labour Party Conferences. I was then able to show her the new Winter Gardens conference centre where I’d love to see them return to their rightful home in the not-too-distant future.
I also introduced the Minister to Kate Shane, Managing Director of Blackpool Tourism Ltd, who talked her through both the opportunities in front of us and the challenges our tourism businesses are still wrestling with. We discussed the idea of Blackpool piloting a tourism enterprise zone – giving financial incentives to businesses to stimulate serious growth and investment.
With Kate Shane (left) and Tourism Minister Stephanie Peacock at the Winter Gardens
The numbers show exactly why this matters. Blackpool welcomed 23.2 million visitors last year, up 7.7% on the year before, generating £2.15 billion for the local economy and supporting more than 23,000 full-time jobs. Tourism is the backbone of this town.
VisitEngland has estimated that 10.6 million Brits are planning an overnight staycation this bank holiday, worth an estimated £4.3 billion to the wider economy, and Blackpool will get its fair share of that, rain or shine.
Next month, government, local businesses and local government will sit down together here in Blackpool to talk about what long-term regeneration for this town actually looks like. That's the conversation I've been pushing for and the result of two years of work where I have been telling the government – when Blackpool succeeds, Britain succeeds.
