West Worcestershire MP Harriett Baldwin this week pledged to back the county's tourism industry as Olympics tourists visit the UK. The MP committed to support the important tourism businesses which will be trying to lift their profile to encourage foreign and domestic visitors to see more of the countryside beyond the confines of London’s celebrations. More than 13 per cent of the local workforce is employed in the tourism sector and it is vital to the local economy throughout the year. The Government has this week committed £39 million to promote the UK abroad and the tourism agency Visit Britain will spend a further £127 million on advertising and promotions abroad next year. Early next year, the Government is expected to announce a 20.12 per cent discount scheme run by UK tour operators to encourage more people to take their holidays at home this summer. Harriett commented: “We must all do what we can to make sure Worcestershire is on the map and gets its fair share of visitors during what we hope will be a busy summer. “We have many popular events as diverse as the Three Counties Show, Upton’s Jazz Festival, Tenbury’s Applefest and Pershore’s Asparagus Festival. “We have a great opportunity to promote the area and ensure that people visit us – and return for many years to come. “I will be working with my colleagues in Government and locally to try and encourage visitors to travel beyond the Cotswolds and across the county. “The tourism sector is crucial to the success of towns across my constituency and I will be working with local authorities and tourism associations to see what we can do early next year to get our local businesses fit for success.”