West Worcestershire MP Harriett Baldwin has welcomed Government plans to help local tourism businesses to grow and be more successful. There are more than 500 tourism business in West Worcestershire who will be able to benefit from the strategy, developed in conjunction with Visit Britain, the tourist board of the UK. These businesses will now be able to access a new tourism data hub, enabling them to offer an even better service for their visitors. The measures – part of the Conservative Government’s modern Industrial Strategy – will help deliver 10,000 new apprenticeships, getting more people involved with the sector and ensuring it continues to go from strength to strength in the future. Nationally, the tourism sector employs around 1.6 million people. In 2018, there were around 38 million visits to the UK from overseas residents who spent a total of £23 billion whilst here – an average of £605 per person. Harriett commented: “Tourism is one of the most important sectors in our local economy – employing thousands of people across the county. “Nationally, tourism contributes £68 billion to the economy and this strategy aims to help business make the most of their opportunities investing in skills for staff and delivering growth. “I’m also pleased to see the commitment to making this growth plan sustainable helping the industry to deliver growth alongside an expectation that we must all reduce our carbon footprint. “This is an exciting plan and I look forward to seeing how it will evolve to benefit our important local tourism businesses.”