Heathrow joins campaign to boost tourism in flood-hit areas

By Sophie Witts

- Last updated on GMT

Heathrow joins campaign to boost tourism in flood-hit areas

Related tags England

Heathrow has unveiled striking images of UK landmarks in Cumbria, Lancashire, Scotland and Yorkshire across its terminals in a bid to boost tourism in areas hit by recent floods.

The campaign features Hadrian’s Wall in Cumbria, Harewood House in Yorkshire, Williamson Park in Lancashire and Crathes Castle in Aberdeenshire and will be seen by tens of millions of passengers over its six week run.

Britons are also being encouraged to share their own images of the areas over social media using the hashtag #OpenforBusiness.

The collaboration between VisitBritain and Heathrow comes after some businesses in flood-hit areas reported a drop in bookings of up to 60 per cent.

Best Western said falling trade and booking cancellations had cost £1m in lost business at its York hotels alone.

Heathrow CEO John Holland-Kaye said: “I’m keen that Heathrow plays its part in supporting the economic recovery of parts of the country that have been recently affected by flooding.

“We are the only UK airport that brings in more tourists than it sends out and we’re going to do everything we can to ensure they know all about the amazing things they can see and do in Cumbria, Lancashire, Scotland and Yorkshire.”

Is it enough?

The adverts form part of a £15m Government funding package to boost tourism in flood-hit areas.

It includes £2m to repair damage across the Lake District National Park and a £1m PR campaign encouraging families to spend their Easter holidays in the region.

But Cumbria County Council has previously criticised the funding as ‘totally inadequate’​ given the floods had caused an estimated £500m worth of damage to local infrastructure.

Tourism is Britain's seventh largest export industry and third largest service sector.

The number of overseas travellers visiting the UK is projected to rise to 36.7m this year, up 3.8 per cent on 2015. 

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