Visit Devon welcomes Prime Minister’s call to back UK tourism industry

Visit Devon has welcomed the Prime Minister David Cameron’s call for more to be done to market Britain as a destination for foreign visitors as well as those at home. David Cameron has urged people to be “more proud” of the UK, its natural assets and its history. He also said that more is to be done so that the UK can break into the top five most visited destinations in the world. The General Manager of Visit Devon, Rosie Bates, says that she is encouraged by the importance that the Prime Minister is placing on the role of tourism in the UK and she is delighted that it is also being given the recognition that it deserves. Mr Cameron urged that the UK should be proud of itself and that the country should “up our game” with tourism focusing more on the national parks, seaside towns and wonderful heritage sites as well as its museums, country houses and historic buildings. Rosie Bates says that this approach already reflects current tourism policy in Devon that has a proactive tourism partnership already targeting these areas. “We are proud of what we do in Devon. We are working hard to promote Devon’s uniqueness to visitors at home and abroad. We are working with our tourism partners to ensure that the tourism sector reaches its maximum potential and welcome the fact that Mr Cameron speaks about ensuring local authorities and communities should be rewarded for the efforts that they put into tourism.” In his speech Mr Cameron also called for more input and fresh ideas from the tourism sector to market the UK more effectively which is a policy that Visit Devon actively supports as Rosie Bates explains: “We welcome the opportunity that Mr Cameron has spoken about to feed in our ideas about what really works for the tourism industry. “At Visit Devon we actively encourage businesses to feed their thoughts and ideas to enable us to present a unified voice to the Government on this.” Visit Devon added it was delighted to hear that the Prime Minister had said that Devon was a favourite holiday destination for him and his family. Rosie said, “We are very pleased to hear that Mr Cameron likes to holiday in the UK and mentions areas such as South Devon and Torquay as holiday favourites!” To view the full speech, visit: http://www.number10.gov.uk/news/speeches-and-transcripts/2010/08/pms-speech-on-tourism-54479 About Visit Devon Visit Devon is the destination management organisation responsible for promoting Devon to the world. The organisation acts as a voice for tourism in Devon and its aim is simple - to increase the number of visitors to Devon by promoting the county as a year-round destination for business or leisure. The organization brings together, adds value to and enhances the work and activities undertaken by the six Area Tourism Partnerships across the county. Visit Devon is committed to growing the tourism sector sustainably, increasing the skills within the industry, and raising the quality of the visitor experience. Visit Devon is a public-private partnership limited by guarantee. The not for profit company comprises of nine member organizations including the six Area Tourism Partnerships (Exeter and Essential Devon, Visit Plymouth, North Devon+, The Dartmoor Partnership, The English Riviera Tourist Board, and Visit South Devon) Devon County Council, The Devon Association of Tourist Attractions (Data), and Devon Farms. Visit Devon is the trading name of Destination Devon Ltd.

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