East Anglia a holiday hotspot

East Anglia a holiday hotspot

Tony Wright MP has said he was delighted to hear that East Anglia has been named as one of the UK’s most visited holiday destinations after a survey found visitor numbers during April and June were up 15 percent on last year.

The survey, carried out by East of England Tourism, also found that visitor numbers for East Anglia are already up 8 percent on 2008, higher than any other region in the country.

The report gave evidence of an increase in visitor numbers in East Anglia this year and Great Yarmouth has also seen the benefits of this increase. Tourism is a huge industry contributing over 20 percent to UK GDP, and has seen Great Yarmouth as one of the top UK seaside destinations.

A campaign to assist the industry in growing further has resulted in an Early Day Motion (EDM 2209) which Tony has signed. It calls on the Government to reduce VAT to 5.5 percent on visitor attractions, with similar reductions in relation to other areas of the tourism industry. Independent research proves that this will result in greater numbers of people visiting UK resorts, and bring an increase in revenue to the exchequer.

Tony said:

‘This is fantastic news for East Anglia, particularly during these difficult economic times. The recession has resulted in more people holidaying in Britain this year instead of abroad and I am thrilled that so many have chosen to holiday in East Anglia.

‘I welcome the fact that there is a recent increase in visitor numbers and we should look to grow on that success. The reduction in VAT is one way of helping the industry as well as increasing employment opportunities.’