Bouyed by increase in international tourism

The holiday season is coming to a close and we can all look forward to more traffic on the roads at rush hour than we have seen over the past few weeks! But, in these final few days of the school holidays, I would urge people looking for something to do to make use of one of the many great local attractions we have across this area.

I have been buoyed throughout the summer to see plenty of overseas tourists across this area and, only the other day, I was out and about in Warwick and there was a great mix of tourists in the town.

It could be a legacy of the Olympics, it could be that we are starting to market ourselves much better through websites such as www.visitcoventryand
warwickshire.co.uk/ in bringing visitors to the area.

But as much as we have to continue the drive to bring tourists to the area from across the UK and, indeed, across the globe, we should all take the time to make full use of some of the wonderful places we have to visit.

And, just as we have to encourage overseas investment and visitors to our region, it’s vital that we look abroad and encourage more businesses to export.

That includes our service sector companies and our manufacturers and engineers.

The Chamber’s international trade team does fantastic work with companies who are first-time exporters, to those companies who have trade overseas already and are now looking for new markets. Trading with Ireland for example, is exporting, which many don’t realise and is a great starting place for those want to dip a toe into international waters.

Further afield but without the problem of time difference is South Africa and the Chamber, with UKTI, is holding an event next Friday (August 30) to look at the potential of trading with the biggest market in Africa. Companies can go along between 9am and 10am to hear from expert Melissa Else or can book 20-minute one-to-one sessions. Call 024 7665 4321 or email events@
cw-chamber.co.uk