CUMBRIA TOURISM

Early day motion 416, tabled 9 December 2009 by Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat). Signed by 15 members.

That this House recognises the outstanding natural beauty of Cumbria and its role as one of Britain's leading tourist attractions; notes that Cumbria is home to two leading national parks, the Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales; further notes that the county's tourism industry brings in an estimated £1.3 billion per year in income; expresses concern that the official tourism body for Cumbria has a budget of only one million pounds a year compared to Visit Scotland with a budget of £48 million, Visit London with a budget of over £15 million and the Yorkshire Tourism Board with a budget of eight million pounds; and urges the Government to create a new deal for Cumbria Tourism by providing it with an annual budget of £10 million to put it on a par with equivalent tourist boards across the country, to boost marketing in the UK and overseas and to protect and develop tourist information centres.

Signatures by party: Labour 9, Liberal Democrat 4, Independent 2.