Culture and tourism
The South West region stretches from Cornwall and the Isles of
Scilly across to Bournemouth and as far north as Swindon. It
consists of a diverse range of environments from rugged moorland to
beautiful coastlines to vibrant cities. It is this unique offer
which attracts more than 20 million visitors to the South West
every year.
The tourism and wider visitor economy is an important part of
the South West economy. It employs a significant number of people
and affects a wide range of businesses. It impacts on the image of
the region, its carbon footprint and its wider social culture and
business aspiration. Importantly, although the economy changes its
structure through time, it is likely that tourism and leisure will
remain an important source of jobs in the region for the
foreseeable future.
The tourism industry affects a wide spread of locations in the
region, from some of our major urban areas, through to our coastal
towns to our more remote rural and natural areas. Its imprint is
extensive, as are its interactions with other sectors, including
agriculture, retailing, transport, and a range of other products
and services.
In 2003 the South West RDA was given the strategic
responsibility for tourism. The key aim of our investment in the
sector since then has been to raise the measure of performance of
the industry through time by supporting innovation, skills and
access to markets in order to encourage enterprise and
competitiveness. We do this in conjunction with our partners:
South West
Tourism - the strategic driver for tourism in the South
West.
Tourism
Skills Network - support tourism skills development
activity throughout the region.
Destination Management Organisations
- deliver the tourism product in their areas of the
region.
In addition the South West RDA also has the lead role
responsibility for the Department for Culture, Media and
Sport. Further information about the key activities involved in this role are
available.