THE tourist industry has a stronger voice at Whitehall than ever before.

This claim was made by Richard Caborn, Minister for Sport and Tourism, in a keynote speech at the Yorkshire Tourist Board's Yorkshire Tourism Conference held at York Racecourse yesterday.

He said the tourism industry had previously been neglected by the Government. "For far too long we have left this industry slopping around in a Whitehall vacuum," he said.

But he assured the delegates that the Government was now taking tourism more seriously. He said regional development agencies, such as Yorkshire Forward, had a powerful influence on government policy.

He said foot and mouth disease had been a "wake-up call" to the Government and had made the country realise how important tourism is to the economy.

He urged tourism businesses in the area to put more energy into marketing themselves online and to British visitors as well as overseas.

"People will research, book and pay online eventually. We need to sell England to the English," he said.

"Eighty per cent of the market is indigenous, and that is the market we need to grow."

He said the Government was investing heavily in england.net, to market England as a tourist destination online.

The Government was also working to standardise the grading schemes which rank the quality of tourism businesses such as hotels, he said.

Mr Caborn said he was working towards bringing gambling into the mainstream leisure industry to help boost tourism in certain areas.

He also reassured the conference that he was working towards filling the skills gap and encouraging young people to consider careers in tourism.

"This isn't a Cinderella industry any more. It is important to the British economy as well as quality of life and wealth creation in this region," he said.

"We have to make sure we are selling this industry to young people who are looking for a career."

He also appealed to tourism businesses to work together to boost the economy.

The delegates also heard speeches from Digby Jones, the Director General of the CBI, and Richard Gregory, the deputy chairman of Yorkshire Forward.

Updated: 09:40 Thursday, April 29, 2004