Tourism businesses in the Burnham-On-Sea area affected by the floods look set to get help from a new £2 million nationwide support fund that has been announced on Saturday by Culture Secretary Maria Miller.
The investment will put experts on the ground in flood-hit areas to give practical advice and support to tourism businesses.
It comes after several local tourism businesses reported their trade had fallen by up to 25% during last month’s half-term holiday due to Somerset’s flooding putting people off from visiting even though the Burnham area is fully open for business.
A dedicated marketing campaign from VisitEngland will help promote affected areas to domestic tourists in the run-up to Easter and beyond. A promotional push abroad to reassure overseas tourists that Britain is open for business is also being planned by VisitBritain.
Burnham’s MP Tessa Munt – who met with Ed Vaizey, Minister for Culture, earlier this week to push for tourism funding – says she is delighted by the news.
“This is great news for the tourism industry and, with Somerset being one of the most-affected flood areas, I look forward to seeing extra funding coming into our area. I would like to see Somerset Tourism Association getting some funding so it can fully promote areas like Burnham with just six weeks before the Easter holidays,” she told Burnham-On-Sea.com.
The £2 million will include helping tourist businesses to communicate effectively with their customers, give advice on what business support measures are available, and promote their businesses so that tourists know what is still on offer.
Culture Secretary Maria Miller, pictured above, said: “We want to help all those tourism businesses that have been affected by the horrendous floods get back on their feet as quickly as possible. Experts will be put on the ground to help small businesses with practical advice and communications while bespoke Easter marketing will bring people back to the areas hit.”
In a statement, Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander added: “The new support we have announced will help flood hit communities across the country get back on their feet. In the run-up to the Easter holidays this extra funding will help maximise what local areas can offer to visitors and holidaymakers. We remain committed to supporting households and businesses affected by the recent floods and will continue working with them over the coming months.”
