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Recovery the priority as VisitEngland takes English Tourism Week campaign online

English Tourism Week, an annual initiative aimed at championing the nation’s visitor attractions, is this year taking its campaign online.

VisitEngland, the organiser of English Tourism Week, is calling on MPs, local authorities, the UK Government and other stakeholders across various sectors to voice their support for beleaguered businesses that have been decimated by the Covid-19 crisis.

The organisation has been working with the UK Government in plotting a path to recovery for the tourism sector once restrictions are lifted. This work has included the development of common industry standards that could offer a ‘ring of confidence’ for sites unsure on how to safely reopen.

With the tourism industry employing more than 2.6 million people and generating over £106 billion for the English economy every year, ensuring as much of the peak summer season can be salvaged is understandably of paramount importance to all parties concerned.

“While we cannot run events as usual this year, the spirit of the week has never been more important,” states VisitEngland director Andrew Stokes. “Tourism has been one of the first and hardest hit economic sectors due to the Covid-19 pandemic and this year’s virtual week is dedicated to showing support for the industry, the millions of people who work in it and the hundreds of thousands of businesses impacted.

“It is also about looking towards the future recovery and doing everything we can right now to ensure that tourism can bounce back to once again become one of the most successful and vibrant sectors of the economy.”

Sharing video messages of support for businesses along with photos of past excursions is being encouraged by VisitEngland, with all posting on social media being urged to use the hashtag #EnglishTourismWeek20 to raise the campaign’s profile between 25th and 31st May.

“English Tourism Week recognises the important role the industry plays in our local, regional and national economies, supporting jobs and attracting investment,” says tourism minister Nigel Huddleston, one of the MPs who will presumably take to Twitter in support of the tourism industry.

“This is a challenging time for the industry and we’re providing support through an unprecedented government package for businesses and workers. I hope everyone will use English Tourism Week as an opportunity to celebrate the sector, and we’ll be encouraging people to book a great British holiday as soon as it is safe to do.”