County tourism firms buoyant

Jun 25 2009 by Peter McCusker, The Journal

MORE than 200 Northumberland tourism businesses attended the second annual county tourism conference and heard the market is proving very resilient to the recession.

Organised by Northumberland Tourism, the event is designed to provide an opportunity for the county’s businesses to consider how best to capitalise on opportunities.

The theme of this year’s event, held at Doxford Hall, Chathill, near Alnwick, was Celebrating Northumberland’s Distinctiveness and guest speakers included Richard Sim, executive chef at Baltic Six and brand expert Tim Lewis, from Small Back Room.

Recent figures show that tourist numbers in the North East increased by 10% last year, which was the largest rise in the UK.

Tourism supports 61,000 jobs in the region and brings almost £4bn into the North East economy.

Terri Harper, of Northumberland Tourism, said: “The market in Northumberland is really very buoyant and is proving very resilient to the recession.”