TOURISM chiefs have warned council leaders they must make promoting the region a priority as the cuts continue to bite.
With the money used to sell the region across the UK and globally now scrapped and tourism groups facing closure, the latest council efforts to form regional leadership groups have come under increased pressure to set out what they will do to help safeguard thousands of job.
Yesterday the Tourism Tyne and Wear Group met for its last annual conference as it prepares for closure in April. At that point the NewcastleGateshead Initiative will take on a wider remit.
Also up for the chop after the Government announced the closure of multi-million pound development agency One North East are the Durham and Northumberland area tourism partnerships.
Between them they have, with a large amount of cash for advertising, helped sell the region and bring in tens of thousands of additional visitors. As these bodies are scrapped, the Government is hoping efforts to force councils and businesses to come together in Local Enterprise Partnerships will convince voters that ministers are still committed to regeneration projects.
But tourism bosses know the new Partnership, covering the seven councils from Durham to Northumberland, has so far done little but argue over its structure.
As a result Cath Hindle, head of tourism development at Tourism Tyne and Wear, has had to lead the way and meet tourism bosses on behalf of the “embryonic” partnership.
Ms Hindle said: “There has been some confusion about what role the Partnerships will have, but what is important now is they recognise tourism is the biggest industry in the country and key to the economy in the area.”
She will also be working to create a Northern Tourism Alliance as an combined effort with local businesses and organisation “to make sure that the North East voice is heard in London”.
Ms Hindle will help put together an eventual multi-million pound bid to the Government’s regional growth fund for extra cash to replace that lost in the cuts. Tyneside could also benefit from a similar bid, now under Government consideration, from Visit England.
In her speech to tourism-based companies at Sunderland’s Stadium of Light, Ms Hindle explained what was happening across the region.
Visit County Durham will work more with the county council, with the authority expected to take over some staffing costs. In Northumberland the tourism group was still working with partners and considering what to do next.
