Tourism in Yorkshire

Debate between Greg Knight and Gloria De Piero

Tuesday 13th September 2011 Westminster Hall

[Gloria De Piero (Ashfield) (Lab)]

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Hancock. It is also a pleasure to respond on behalf of the Opposition. I congratulate the hon. Member for Selby and Ainsty (Nigel Adams) on securing this important debate. He spoke passionately about the issue and posed some good questions, which I hope the Minister will address.

I echo many of the things that have been said about Yorkshire, because, as hon. Members may be able to tell from my accent, I am originally a Yorkshire girl. Everybody in the room has a responsibility to ensure that Yorkshire and its tourism industry stay on the agenda. As the hon. Member for York Outer (Julian Sturdy) said, the debate is an important part of that.

I am from Bradford, and it is good to see my hon. Friend the Member for Bradford South (Mr Sutcliffe) here. He is my mum and dad’s MP, and I know how proud he is of his constituency and how hard he works to promote Bradford. He has also done a fine job of promoting Yorkshire today.

Tourism is incredibly important for the survival and continuing regeneration of many regions such as Yorkshire; it creates huge numbers of jobs for people directly employed in the industry and for many thousands more working in similar industries. Its importance to our national economy is highlighted by the fact that it is our fifth largest industry. According to figures from Yorkshire Forward, tourism contributes billions of pounds to the regional economy.

Tourism should feature strongly in our strategy for economic recovery. I know that Britain cannot afford to give the industry a specific VAT cut at this time, but does the Minister accept that this is perhaps not the right time for the Chancellor to hike up VAT?

It is not hard to see why Yorkshire is popular with tourists and so valuable to the economy. It has everything, from the hidden gem of Selby abbey, in the constituency of the hon. Member for Selby and Ainsty, to Scarborough, which was one of the first seaside resorts in Britain, to great moors and coastlines. It also has cities such as York and Leeds and shopping complexes such as Meadowhall. The hon. Member for Selby and Ainsty is rightly proud of the region.

I have learned some new facts about Yorkshire from the hon. Member for Harrogate and Knaresborough (Andrew Jones). We all know about the landscape and heritage, but I did not know that it was the happiest place to live in. I have enjoyed tea and cake at Bettys, and it is a fantastic part of Harrogate.

[Mr Knight]

Can I add to that impressive list the enjoyment of fresh crab and lobster at Bridlington, Britain’s largest shellfish port?

[Gloria De Piero]

I remember the odd school trip to Bridlington. I did not have any crab then, but perhaps I will now, as a grown-up.

As people have said, tourism is about more than economics. It has the magical ability to conjure up dreams and create special memories. I grew up in Bradford, and I remember vividly the opening of the National Media museum, where my dad used to take me when I was a little girl. That museum did so much to capture my imagination. It was there that I learned about how television was made, and its history. That broadened my horizons, and who knows whether it was responsible for my choosing a career in TV before I came to this place? There was a mat to sit on, which would transform, by means of the television screen in front, into a flying carpet to transport visitors to far-flung places. I went back to the museum a couple of years ago and the flying carpet mat had gone, but the special effects meant that people could transport themselves to outside 10 Downing street, to be a reporter. That offered a little less magic to me, as that was my job at the time.

Another pleasure when I was growing up was Haworth, down the road. I am sure that it was the main reason I fell in love, as a teenager, with Emily Bronte’s book “Wuthering Heights”, and went walking the moors wondering when my Heathcliff would come. Those moors brought the novel to life for me, and I am sure that they do for many tourists. That reminds us that tourism is not only about people from different counties or countries, but can be for people from nearby in the same county: it can expand people’s horizons. It can expand the taste buds too. Much to the horror of my Italian parents, spag bol was not my food of choice, because, as everyone knows, Bradford has a reputation for fantastic curries, and I became a devoted convert. I wish Bradford and Sheffield well, as they have both been nominated for the Curry Capital of Britain award. It would not surprise me if Yorkshire were to add another award to its growing list.

With brilliant attractions on our doorstep, it is important to make sure that everyone knows about them, and that people do not miss out. That is why hon. Members are right to point out the importance of promotion. I am originally from Bradford, and am the shadow Minister for Culture and Tourism, but I did not know until recently that my birthplace beat cities such as Los Angeles, Cannes and Venice to achieve UNESCO city of film status. If I did not know that, what are the chances that someone from Japan, or even someone from Jarrow, will know?

Spending on promoting Britain and its wonderful regions should not be seen as an unnecessary cost; it brings valuable cashinto Britain too. I am sure that the Minister is all too aware of figures that show that money spent on promoting tourism can be extremely cost-effective. For instance, Welcome to Yorkshire was launched in April 2009 with regional development agency funding from Yorkshire Forward of £10 million a year for three years. According to Welcome to Yorkshire, for every £1 invested, it has delivered £40 back into the local economy. However, the Minister will know that it is in the dark about its financial future, with the impending closure of the regional development agencies. When regional funding ceases in April 2012, it will be interesting to see what effect the Government’s new enterprise partnerships will have on the tourism industry. If regions such as Yorkshire are not protected and developed, and if budgets to attract tourists to them are slashed, people may simply go elsewhere.

The Labour Government worked hard to ensure that the British isles were once again becoming an attractive place in which to live and work and enjoy simple pleasures such as the Yorkshire moors, Whitby bay, Bradford and Selby—places where vast numbers of people show their support with their feet and their wallets. Yorkshire is a wonderful place and I hope that it has a wonderful future.

I have a few questions for the Minister. What does he believe will be the impact of the VAT hike on the Yorkshire tourist industry? What does the Government tourism strategy have to offer the Yorkshire tourist industry? Does the Minister appreciate that spending on promoting Britain and Yorkshire should not be viewed just as a cost, since it brings in cash? Will he give an assurance that Welcome to Yorkshire will receive some financial support from the Government, after April 2012? Finally, to echo what the hon. Member for Selby and Ainsty said, will the Minister tell us about the funding anomaly in relation to Scotland?