GREG SUPPORTS ENGLISH TOURISM WEEK IN 1066 COUNTRY
04.04.14 for immediate release: Local MP, Greg Barker, kicked off English Tourism Week with visits to two local tourist attractions in his constituency - Bodiam Boating Station in Newenden and Great Dixter House and Gardens in Northiam.
Greg was delighted to meet Vanessa Ferrett and Alex Bolton who run Bodiam Boating Station in Newenden as they were busy getting ready to open their business for the summer season next weekend (5 April). Bodiam Boating Station offers kayaking and boating activities on the River Rother, including a 24 seater ferry service to Bodiam Castle or Rye. They also offer delicious lunches and teas at their tea garden cafe and camping facilities where holiday makers can enjoy the beautiful views of the countryside and watch the passing steam trains of the Kent and East Sussex Railway.
Greg then travelled to Great Dixter House and Gardens in Northiam where he met the property’s Business Manager Perry Rodriguez. Great Dixter’s beautiful medieval house and world-renowned garden has already opened to tourists as the mild winter has brought an early Spring and filled the gardens with interest and colour.
Speaking in Northiam Greg said “I was delighted to mark English Tourism Week with visits to two local tourist attractions. Tourism plays a very important part in our local economy worth £525,572,000 and providing nearly 12,000 jobs.
“After what has been a challenging winter for many local businesses, it was good to see Bodiam Boating Station and Great Dixter ready to welcome local residents and tourists to our beautiful part of East Sussex.”
A spokesperson from 1066 Country Marketing said “For such a compact area, 1066 Country punches well above its weight in terms of the variety of attractions and exciting events it offers.
Gardens, castles, galleries, medieval towns and villages all combine with a packed programme of cultural events which includes the re-enactment of the Battle of Hastings, Rye International Jazz Festival, the Bexhill Sea Angling Festival and the imminent Hastings Jack in the Green Festival. Staying visitors can be sure of a warm welcome in the wide range of quality accommodation on offer.
With Easter being later this year, local tourism businesses are already celebrating the recent spell of good weather which has encouraged people out of the house ahead of the traditional holiday break. And it's not only visitors from out of town who we aim to attract. Often we can be ignorant of what is on our own doorstep so with friends and family coming down for the Easter break, now is the perfect opportunity for locals to explore what a great place they live in.”