MP takes the chair to promote Shropshire tourism
He's almost 6ft 9ins tall – and now, at last, Shrewsbury MP Daniel Kawczynski has found the perfect deckchair for him.
Mr Kawczynski took pride of place in the chair for a photocall to support English Tourism Week.
The MP and county councillors visited Salop Caravans in Shrewsbury to mark the week. A series of events is showcasing visitor experiences in England and highlights the major contribution tourism makes to the country’s economy.
“Tourism in Shropshire is one of the main income generators,” said Mr Kawczynski. “Businesses like Salop Leisure, who are tapping into tourism, generate a huge amount of jobs and prosperity for our county.
“More and more people want to visit the wonders of Shropshire and experience our magnificent countryside. Given the rate of the pound, we have seen record numbers of tourists coming to the UK and I can only see that continuing to expand.”
One of the first places tourists see when they arrive in Shrewsbury is the railway station and Mr Kawczynski announced that recent investment to upgrade the station would continue, with long-awaited work scheduled to start on Dana Bridge in June.
Sector
Councillor Lezley Picton, Shropshire Council’s portfolio holder for culture and leisure, said: “Tourism for Shropshire is immensely important. Shrewsbury and Shropshire have a huge amount to offer tourists and the more we can do to promote it, the better.”
Tony Bywater, Salop Leisure’s chairman, said: “English Tourism Week celebrates the contribution of the tourism industry, in all its forms, to our local and national economies, to job creation, the environment and our local community.
“Since 2010, tourism has been the fastest-growing sector in employment terms. Britain is forecast to have a tourism industry worth more than £257 billion by 2025.
“I think the tourism industry is going to enjoy its best-ever year in 2018. After one of the worst winters for a number of years, I am hoping for a gorgeous, hot summer and Shrewsbury, Shropshire and the Heart of England have so much to offer to people.”
Tourism is the third largest employer in England, every day supporting 2.6 million jobs and is a major employer of school leavers and young people and an incubator for entrepreneurs.
The visitor economy is worth £106bn a year to England, supporting thousands of businesses and impacting on the performance of supplier industries, including farming, transport, retailing, sport, museums and galleries, the theatre and other performing arts.
