The Country Land and Business Association and the English Tourism Council have agreed to work in partnership to further the strategic future of the rural tourism sector.

Forum Response: Country Land and Business Association

Sir Edward Greenwell, president of the CLA, told ePolitix.com: "There is no doubt in my mind that the English Tourism Council should be playing a far more strategic role in the future of tourism and that if they did, so much more could be done to stimulate a vital part of the rural economy.

"The main problem for rural tourism, currently worth an estimated £26 billion a year, is its fragmented nature and the lack of a unified voice to support it.

"CLA members are the stewards of the countryside and provide the backdrop for this industry. Many members are diversifying into tourism but need guidance, training and support to provide the best service.

"Rural tourism is crucially important, since it is both the beneficiary of, and part of the means to achieving, a healthy rural economy."