Sharon pictured here with Gill Pipes, Centre Manager at the WWT.
On a lovely bright sunny spring morning, Sharon visited Washington Wildfowl Park to help shine a spotlight on the local area’s tourism industry in a week devoted to travel and exploration during English Tourism Week (ETW) 17-25 March 2018.
Now in its seventh year, English Tourism Week raises the profile and showcases the benefits of the tourism industry to local communities and the economy.
Tourism is one of England’s largest and most successful industries. It directly employs more than 2.6m people and generates over £106 billion a year for the English economy. England has seen strong growth in overseas visits – in the first nine months of 2017 there were a record 12.7 million visits to English regions outside London, up 4% compared to the same period in 2016. International visitors spent £6.1 billion across England’s regions during this period.
Latest VisitEngland statistics show that from January to November 2017 Brits took more than 44 million domestic holidays in England, spending more than £10 billion, up five and six per cent respectively compared to the same period in 2016.
Sharon Hodgson MP said:
“It was great to visit Washington Wildfowl Park to mark English Tourism Week.
“We have some fantastic attractions in our area, so it is important that we visit and support them so that they are available for others to enjoy in the future.”
VisitEngland Director, Andrew Stokes said:
“English Tourism Week is all about celebrating the value and quality of tourism in England, and there are many great reasons to explore what’s on your doorstep. The range of activities from our quiet and cosy countryside to our roaring and vibrant cities gives our nation a rare flare you would struggle to find elsewhere in the world. And all steeped in our rich and wonderful heritage. The whole industry comes together during English Tourism Week to showcase the variety of tourism products across the country engaging locals and encouraging them to be tourists within their own area.”
This year the spring equinox falls during English Tourism Week and VisitEngland is asking people to share their favourite spring moments using #Springland, #ETW18 and #VisitEngland.
To promote tourism during the week VisitEngland has created an events website for people to find out about, and book, activities with many offering discounts and incentives to encourage visitors. For a selection of the best offers see the blog here.
To find out what's on during English Tourism Week click here >
Visit Washington Wildfowl Centre website here >
