In the Great Yarmouth area, the tourist industry is worth an estimated £500 million to the local economy. In terms of accommodation, most people would think that visitors stay in a hotel or a local guesthouse. In fact, around half the tourists that come here on holiday stay in a static caravan in one of our excellent holiday parks. Therefore, what may seem an obscure debate about applying VAT to the sale of static caravans
Over twenty local hotel and guesthouse owners joined me for breakfast at the Furzedown Hotel, as I hosted my latest policy breakfast. These are a regular opportunity for me to listen to people from a particular business sector or professional background. Recent breakfasts have included meetings with local GPs and headteachers. As the Great Yarmouth economy is reliant on tourism, this meeting was important on getting feedback from people who have first-hand experience. These people
I was delighted to welcome the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Eric Pickles MP to Great Yarmouth on Thursday the 27th October. The main theme of Mr Pickles’ visit was that of partnership, and how it can be used to overcome the challenges faced by councils and businesses in Great Yarmouth. I took Mr Pickles to a number of meetings intended to showcase how partnership working was driving down costs for the local council; and
Local residents have their say at village meeting
The Blue Flag awards have been announced and I would like to congratulate the winners, especially the many fantastic beaches in Norfolk. However, many residents have contacted me querying why Great Yarmouth does not participate in this scheme or raising concerns about the judging criteria. Tourism is a vital part of the Great Yarmouth economy and it is not an exaggeration to say that a huge amount of that is dependent on our fantastic beaches.
This historic structure will be maintained and preserved for future generations.
If you asked someone outside Great Yarmouth to name one of the town’s attractions, I would imagine that the answers would include the pier, the Golden Mile, and the Pleasure Beach. Most people wouldn’t immediately associate the town with the Norfolk Broads, yet they are a hidden gem on our doorstep. They attract over 10,000 boats to the area every year, many who require assistance or advice from the dedicated team of Navigation Rangers, especially
The tourism minister responded to my question about how much of the new tourism marketing fund will be spent in East Anglia. I accept that we will indirectly benefit from increased tourist numbers to the United Kingdom resulting from the Olympics and other major events but we will miss much of the boost, unless there is marketing for East Anglia. If VisitBritain doesn’t actively seek input from the industry in our region the marketing campaign
Brandon Lewis