CUMBRIA TOURISM

That this House recognises the outstanding natural beauty of Cumbria and its role as one of Britain's leading tourist attractions; notes that Cumbria is home to two leading national parks, the Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales; further notes that the county's tourism industry brings in an estimated £1.3 billion per year in income; expresses concern that the official tourism body for Cumbria has a budget of only one million pounds a year compared to Visit Scotland with a budget of £48 million, Visit London with a budget of over £15 million and the Yorkshire Tourism Board with a budget of eight million pounds; and urges the Government to create a new deal for Cumbria Tourism by providing it with an annual budget of £10 million to put it on a par with equivalent tourist boards across the country, to boost marketing in the UK and overseas and to protect and develop tourist information centres.