What are we doing to support Rural
Tourism?
Tourism is one of the most important sectors
of the rural economy, worth over £29bn a
year and accounting for over 12% of rural
employment. But it can grow further.
The Government is investing £25m to
encourage more people to enjoy England’s
countryside and to improve the quality of our
rural tourism attractions.
There are 5 elements to the £25m package:
1. VisitEngland is investing £12m in
promoting rural tourism nationally,
with the aim of increasing tourist
numbers and overall visitor
expenditure.
2. Defra is establishing a £10m fund
from within the RDPE Rural
Economy Grant Scheme to support
local tourism initiatives, including
projects to develop rural destinations
and to strengthen rural tourism
businesses.
3. Defra will work with the 34 Areas of
Outstanding Natural Beauty in
England to help them develop a new
approach to supporting sustainable
tourism;
4. Defra will provide up to £2m to
enable local communities to enhance
their tourism offer by improving public
rights of way; and
5. Defra is providing up to £1m for a
new sustainable rural tourism
initiative in the North East England,
based on the Our Land approach being
used across protected landscapes in
the South East.
How will this help growth?
This package will to generate at least £110m
in new visitor expenditure, and create 3,000
new jobs. It will stimulate the rural tourism
market by:
• encouraging more people to visit and
explore the attractions of the English
countryside;
• providing direct support for rural tourism
businesses to help them become more
competitive and sustainable;
• maximising the tourism potential of our
most beautiful and iconic protected
rural landscapes;
• helping communities develop their own
tourism economies by improving local
rights of way .