Mel Stride MP has hailed Dartmoor as one of England’s most beautiful and charming places to visit during English Tourism Week. Now in its eighth year, the initiative raises the profile and showcases the benefits of the tourism industry to local communities and the economy. Tourism is one of England’s largest and most valuable industries, directly employing more than 2.6m people and generating over £106 billion a year for the British economy. English destinations are also a huge draw for overseas visits – in the first nine months of 2019 there were a record 11.9 million visits to English regions outside London. International visitors spent £5.7 billion across England’s regions during this period.
On a very wet and blustery day on Friday Mr Stride visited Haytor and dropped in to speak with staff at Helpful Holidays in Chagford; a business bringing visitors to the West Country from all over the world. He said:
“I am incredibly proud to represent such a beautiful part of our country and always enjoy spending time on Dartmoor. It has everything you could want in a holiday destination – magnificent scenery, some wonderful market towns, great pubs and friendly locals.”
Mel has also worked as an MP to address some of the challenges facing Dartmoor communities such as the need to bring younger blood into the agriculture industry, access to superfast broadband and the affordability of housing.
