Britain's tourism industry has bounced back from the dual blows of September 11 and foot and mouth, with UK attractions enjoying an eight per cent increase in visitors in 2002 compared with the previous year.

Richard Caborn, the tourism minister, said: "The huge wealth of visitor attractions across the UK shows just how much we have to offer tourists from home and abroad.

"Attractions are at the very heart of our tourism industry's continuing recovery; these positive figures bear that out."

Forum Response: Blackpool Challenge Partnership

Alan Cavill, director of development and general manager at Blackpool Challenge Partnership, told ePolitix.com: "It is a credit to the Blackpool and the Pleasure Beach that in spite of the huge increase in the number of competitors that the Pleasure Beach remains the most popular tourist attraction.

"We have a wealth of nostalgia, a direct air link to London and the South East and Blackpool, more accredited accommodation than ever before and the largest selection of theatre and shows outside London.

"Blackpool has already started work on delivering the next generation of domestic seaside resort and developments over the next decade will see Blackpool maintain its position at the top of the tourism tree."

Forum Response: Country Land and Business Association

Dr Charles Trotman, rural economy adviser at the CLA, told ePolitix.com: "While the recent surge in tourists to countryside attractions should bringa welcome boost to an industry worth some £15 billion, rural tourism still has some hurdles to overcome.

"Funding for local tourist information centres has yet to be secured - without more centres, visitors will continue to miss out on local events and attractions. Most quality assurance schemes still lack a rural slant, such as listing a hotel's proximity to a national park or cycle and hillwalking trails.

"The Country Land and Business Association is particularly keen to see the government look into the advantages of extending the holiday season and the implications to rural tourism of having more school terms during the year."

Forum Response: Woodland Trust

Ed Pomfret, spokesman for the Woodland Trust, told ePolitix.com: "We do have in Britain some of the best attractions in the world, one of which is our woodland.

"One of the Woodland Trust's key objectives is to enhance public awareness and enjoyment of our woods and we are pleased to see the increase in interest in wildlife attractions.

"It is important that we do not forget that tourism is not just about visiting built attractions but also about getting out and enjoying our natural heritage.

"Ancient woods which have been wooded for at least 400 years are cultural and ecological treasure troves as well as providing much needed respite from the stresses of everyday life.

"We would encourage people to get out and enjoy our great natural heritage as well as the other attractions Britain has to offer."

Forum Response: Institute of Directors

A spokesman for the IoD told ePolitix.com: "It is of course very good news tourism is starting to recover, the sector is tremendously important to the UK economy.

"However, complacency should be avoided. Other parts of the economy- such as manufacturing remain in recession - while consumer spending and the housing market, the parts of the economy that underpinned growth last year, are now moderating."

Forum Response: Countryside Alliance

Richard Burge, chief executive of the Countryside Alliance, told ePolitix.com: "The Alliance welcomes the news that British Tourism is starting to recover following the various traumas of the past 2 years, in particular FMD.

"The tourism industry in the UK is a major employer in rural areas, and brings in significant revenue to many parts of the countryside, while allowing tourists the opportunity to view and experience our magnificent landscapes and heritage.

"However, farming and other industry sectors were also very badly affected by FMD, and it is both sad and shameful that recovery for the farming industry is something which we cannot celebrate. In the longer term this may also have an important effect on the tourist industry which relies in large part on the countryside created and maintained by farmers.

"A huge number of obstacles, both state and private, continue to stand in the way of agricultural development and the progression of the industry to becoming profitable once again. As ever, the government continues to do things to the countryside and the industries within, rather than FOR them, while the supermarkets - in particular the 'Big Four' - continue their merciless stranglehold on British growers and producers."