Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what new initiatives her Department plans to make to improve the promotion of tourism in English seaside towns.

The UK Government wants to see a growing, dynamic, and sustainable tourism sector reach its full potential and drive growth in every nation and region of the UK, including our seaside towns. Coastal tourism is an important part of the British tourism sector. 10% of all visits to the UK include going to the coast or beaches.

VisitBritain has led a number of multi-million pound marketing campaigns that promote the British coastline and seaside towns, and the Government is taking forward recommendations from the Nick de Bois Review of Destination Management Organisations (DMOs) with the aim of supporting regional areas, including seaside towns, to better attract and manage tourists. This includes accrediting the highest-performing DMOs throughout 2023 as Local Visitor Economy Partnerships (LVEPs), and the multi-year government funded tourism pilot in the North East of England.