VisitEngland is celebrating the importance of the tourism industry with this year’s English Tourism Week from 13-22 March. The annual celebration puts tourism centre stage with the public, destinations, businesses and visitor attractions encouraged to get involved.
English Tourism Week sees the industry come together to highlight tourism’s importance to local communities and economies and promote the innovation, quality and range of products and services on offer to boost domestic breaks. This year’s campaign, co-ordinated by VisitEngland, is using the strapline ‘Local Stories National Growth’ to celebrate the people, places, businesses, attractions, experiences and destinations at the heart of England’s tourism sector.
Minister for Tourism Stephanie Peacock MP said: “English Tourism Week is a celebration of our vibrant and diverse tourism sector. It plays a vital role in our national economic landscape – supporting jobs, driving investment, and sustaining communities across the country.
“This Government has an ambition to attract 50 million visitors a year by 2030, and English Tourism Week is the perfect opportunity to showcase our exceptional domestic offer. From independent guesthouses in Cornwall and vineyard tours in Kent to heritage railways in North Yorkshire and the seaside resorts of the North West, these landmarks give our destinations their distinctive character. Without them, we would lose the very heart and soul of our tourism offer.
“We want to recognise the small businesses that form the backbone of the visitor economy. By encouraging people to discover the incredible places on offer closer to home, we can support local livelihoods and ensure our tourism sector continues to thrive for generations to come.”
VisitEngland Director Andrew Stokes said: “English Tourism Week is all about shining the spotlight on our outstanding tourism offer and with spring on the horizon, now is the perfect time to get out exploring our stunning countryside, vibrant cities and coastal gems.
“Tourism is a powerhouse industry that delivers billions for the economy, supports millions of jobs and boosts communities locally. We also know that the picture remains mixed for many destinations across England, highlighting the challenges for tourism businesses.
“I encourage everyone to get out and discover their local stories, celebrate the hard-working people who go above and beyond for visitors and grow our world-class tourism industry.”
Destinations, tourism businesses and visitor attractions can download the English Tourism Week toolkit including logos, slogans, images and poster templates to join in.
In the lead-up to and throughout English Tourism Week, VisitEngland is also encouraging people to show support for English tourism on social media by using #EnglishTourismWeek26.
VisitEngland’s Tourism Superstar 2026 competition will also conclude at the end of the week, with voting open until midnight on the 22 March and the winner announced after English Tourism Week.
VisitEngland, Local Visitor Economy Partnerships and destinations are also asking MPs, local authorities, the UK Government and other stakeholders to get involved, for example by visiting local tourism businesses and attractions during the week.
English Tourism Week comes as the Government is engaging stakeholders across the tourism sector as it develops its upcoming Visitor Economy Strategy.
Tourism is one of England’s largest, most valuable industries, supporting hundreds of thousands of small-to-medium sized businesses, more than two million jobs and worth £127 billion to the English economy.
For more information about English Tourism Week and to download VisitEngland’s English Tourism Week toolkit go to: English Tourism Week | VisitBritain.org.
