Rural tourism in England inquiry

The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Committee launches an inquiry into the role of tourism in supporting rural growth in England. Rural Tourism provides around £17 billion a year to the English economy. But rural communities face some particular challenges to tourism growth such as transport connections, restrictions to broadband access and seasonal employment. … Show more

The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Committee launches an inquiry into the role of tourism in supporting rural growth in England. Rural Tourism provides around £17 billion a year to the English economy. But rural communities face some particular challenges to tourism growth such as transport connections, restrictions to broadband access and seasonal employment. Although England has seen a rise in tourism spend in the past year from both domestic and international visitors, figures published by Visit England show that in 2014 just 18% of domestic overnight trips were taken to rural areas, down from 22% in 2012. Over 50% of international spend was in London. The inquiry will look into a number of matters relating to supporting rural growth. Show less