On Thursday, 19th April 2018 I travelled to Edinburgh to discuss devolved tourism with the Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland tourism ministers and representatives and also to visit a couple of top tourist sites in the city.
As tourism is an issue which is devolved in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland each devolved Assembly appoints their own minister responsible for tourism: Fiona Hyslop MSP for Scotland, Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas AM for Wales, and at the moment Noel Lavery, a senior civil servant, represents Northern Ireland.
Tourism is a hugely important sector for the UK as a whole and I was keen to discuss with my fellow ministers the ways in which we can promote and sustain tourism in the Union; whilst such matters are devolved I believe it is crucial that all countries in the union work together. I was pleased by the progress achieved in the meeting and I remain confident that tourism will continue to grow in England and in the UK as a whole.
During my day-visit to Edinburgh, I also met staff at Edinburgh Castle and the Palace of Holyroodhouse both of which are historic, beautiful tourist sites which demonstrate the rich history of Edinburgh, Scotland and the Union that is the United Kingdom.
I am a huge supporter of the Union and I am confident that the relations between all of the countries will remain as strong as ever.