Ipswich Tourism
Question:
If the promotion of Ipswich Tourism by Ipswich Borough Council is to continue as an essential activity of the Council, what specialist staff, outlets and budget are required to deliver and support our offer to Tourists and enable the promotion of Ipswich's attractions through Tourism services provided by other administrations in the Region, recognising that they should expect reciprocal support?
Councillor Tim Lockington writes, after the clarification of Labour's plans for Ipswich Tourism, laid bare by the answers to his questions to Full Council on 29th July:-
"Promoting and celebrating the Civic Life and Civic History of Ipswich should surely be a core responsibility of the Town's Borough Council. It now seems that the Borough's Labour Administration has decided that this is not the case any more.
It is, of course, appropriate to look at budgets and services to ensure that they deliver quality and value for money.
The functions of the Tourist Information Centre, putting visitors in direct contact with people who know our Town and are passionate about its attractions and history, could possibly be provided through other outlets. This is not what IBC intends. They propose having no Tourism budget or responsibility for Tourism, and see no place for having people with Tourism expertise on the pay-roll.
They are relying entirely on the body called "Destination Ipswich", an unelected board with a single nominated member from the Borough Council, to promote the Town.
In contrast, Lowestoft has just opened a Tourist Information Centre to provide the direct contact and welcome to visitors to that town that we are stopping. It will also provide literature and advice about other places in our Region to visit as well. Is Ipswich going to play its part in information sharing of this kind? Surely, as the County Town of Suffolk, Ipswich should have a really prominent place in the Suffolk and North Essex Tourism network and a clear Tourism strategy, fully accountable, through its Borough Council, to the people of Ipswich".
