Member Article

Communities minister announces £250k tourism grant for Thanet

Communities minister Lord Ahmad today announced a grant of almost £250k to boost tourism on the Thanet coastline.

The minister, who was in Thanet this morning to announce the grant, was taken on a tour of the seafront by Thanet council leader Iris Johnston and acting chief executive Madeline Homer.

According to Thanet Gazette, the isle has been awarded £247k, which will be used promote heritage and fund events on Thanet’s coast, creating 15 jobs.

Lord Ahmad said: “What we are looking to is ensure that towns like Margate can really be put on the map in terms of attracting tourists from not just around the country but further afield as well.

“The development of the Turner gallery is a great example of how towns like Margate can attract tourism all year round.

“We have got to be proud of our heritage and proud of our country and what better way to underline it than to look around and say how can we revive our industries?

“The coastal towns are part and parcel of that. I remember growing up and going on beach holidays in the UK and why not again for my own children’s generation?

“We need to reinvest, we need to see towns being regenerated and we need to see a more diverse level of investment.

“We need to see hotels, we need to see independent retailers, we need to see art galleries and Margate is a great example of how these different initiatives are coming together.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ellen Forster .