Tourism jobs boost

The East Kent Partnership (EKP) is investing £65,000 in the funding of two projects in east Kent that will see a major boost to the area's tourism efforts, increasing the number of visitors to the region, creating a joined-up tourism offering and creating new jobs.

The projects, "Cruise Connections" and "Impact Through IT", will reinforce and improve existing tourism in east Kent and maximise job opportunities in the industry, bringing increased business to ports, attractions and accommodation as well as restaurants, retail and transport.

Tourism is still big business in east Kent, and in 2004 was directly responsible for the employment of 7.5% of Dover's workforce, 7.6% of Canterbury's workforce and 9.2% of Thanet's workforce.

Cruise Connections aims to tap into the highly competitive cruise market, particularly in the US and Europe, to attract more cruise operators to the Port of Dover. In doing so, it is hoped that by increasing the number of port calls and establishing shore excursion programmes, more cruise passengers will remain in east Kent, and for longer than they currently do.

Impact Through IT will see the development of a Destination Management System (DMS) that will link all three districts of Canterbury, Dover and Thanet to provide a network to enable the sharing of information and reservations between organisations. Also linked to the Kent DMS project, it will allow the tourism industries in the districts to operate more efficiently and has the potential to increase tourism business through accessible information for visitors worldwide.

Together, the projects will work to establish east Kent as a high-profile visitor destination and ensure visitors are easily able to access information about the many attractions on offer in the area, to encourage more time and money to be spent during their stay.

Janet Waghorn, Executive Director EKP, said: "Both projects individually represent a valuable investment in the future economic development of east Kent, and together will provide a viable means for that investment to impact throughout the region.

"With the DMS system working as part of the overall Kent DMS project and enhanced awareness throughout European and US Cruise markets of the tourist offering we have, east Kent can realistically hope to see an increase of the tourist market share.

"Such an increase will create more jobs and encourage new businesses to set up in the area, ensuring the economic benefits are widespread."

A total investment of £140,000 for both projects has been secured from the EKP, district, city and county Councils, and additional private sector funding is supporting the Cruise Connections project.

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