In 2006, tourism contributed £2.5bn to the economy in Kent. This is a 13.5% increase from 2003. 7% of all jobs across the county are tourism-related. Visit Kent also discovered that the county was a top destination for domestic travellers, who made up to 84% of visitors.

The UK’s tourism deficit has increased to £20.2bn, according to the Office for National Statistics. Between February 2007 and February 2008, British tourists going abroad spent 36.8bn, 6% more than the previous year, which is more than visitors to the UK, who spent £16.7bn, representing a 2% increase.

Plans have started for the development of a new terminal building at Portsmouth Ferry Port. With increasing trade through the port, the original building from 1976 is in need of an upgrade to meet the anticipated growth in coming years. Halcrow Group is developing a master plan to review its current passenger and freight facilities and develop a new modern terminal to enhance the port’s services. Construction will not start until the end of 2009 and will be funded by Portsmouth City Council. The port has seen an increase in traffic from freight and passengers. A second vessel is now on the Le Harve route and Gefco is importing thousands of Citroen cars through the port.

A new visitor attraction is planned for the resort of Vila do Conde, in Portugal. The Eco-attraction will cost £7.1 million and will be developed on the site of a 120 year old river research station. It will combine a destination attraction and a working aquacultural station. It will tell the story of the River Ave and the surrounding wildlife and showcase sustainable technologies. The site is expected to be opened in 2010.

The Laural and Hardy Museum, in Ulverston, has been grated permission to move to larger premises. The collection of memorabilia is currently in three small rooms, but managers want to relocate into a nearby warehouse. The current premises struggle to cope with visitor numbers. The collection will now be moved to the warehouse at Heron Glass, following the decision by South Lakeland District Council.

Plans have been revealed for a £150 million arts centre and visitor attraction to be built in Potter’s Field on London’s South Bank. It will be called ‘The Hill’, due to its shape; and the venue will be covered by a network of paths, forming a urban park on the site. The centre will feature rides, live performances and will become a major arts and cultural centrepiece for the 2012 Olympics. The centre will attract a wide range of visitors, Londoners, day visitors, tourists, families and school groups. The aim of the venue will be to provide a destination experience during the day, a meeting place in the early evening and a separate late night experience.

PSCL carried out a review of the tourism and leisure markets to identify the options for leisure / tourism development within the working Port of Sheerness.  We were working in a multi-disciplinary team as part of a larger master planning exercise.

price avalon hideaway gas fireplace test

PSCL were commissioned by South Tyneside Council to carry out a commercial review of the leisure options for the Pier Parade area in South Shields.

Work focused on carrying out a site review and appraisal of the area; identifying and reviewing the key commercial opportunities; carrying out an options appraisal; preparing a risk assessment and setting out the next steps.

The Tehran Times reported that during the Noruz Holiday period over 6 million tickets to museums were sold over the 13 day break.  This represents a significant increase over previous sales.

A new water park is to open this summer in the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park. The Blue Lagoon will be part of Bluestone Holiday Park, but will also be open to the public. The water park includes rapids, rivers, hot tubs, flumes, a wave pool and interactive play areas for children. The waterpark is heated by the burning of woodchip and energy crops grown by local farmers, making it one of the largest on-site biomass energy sources in the UK. Source The Times