Whether it’s surfing at Tynemouth, enjoying Northumberland's burgeoning culinary scene or discovering Alnwick Gardens' collection of poisonous plants, the North East of England offers stunning scenery, rich cultural history and unique experiences sure to delight any visitor. While in Newcastle, I saw first-hand the progress being made to encourage investment and tourism in the region through Destination North East England’s work, creating jobs and bolstering the local economy. The Government will continue to work closely with our partners in the North East to build on this work, showcasing the best the region has to offer and ensuring the visitor economy grows in the years to come.

It’s been a pleasure to welcome Tourism Minister Sir Chris Bryant to the North East and share our ambition to promote the North East globally – growing the sector to bring more visitors to our beautiful region. The North East is amazing – so it’s only right that we share it with our visitors! With fantastic culture, history and so much to see and do, the North East continues to welcome tourism that stimulates our local economy and helps us to thrive. A huge thank you to the students from Newcastle College’s Chef Academy – their talents are clear to see and really showcased our next generation’s culinary skills!

It was a real privilege to host Sir Chris Bryant alongside our North East Mayor to discuss our plans to attract and unlock further investment and growth across our visitor economy. The visitor economy is at the heart of the devolution deal and this visit was a valuable opportunity to demonstrate our growth and investment potential. Together we will transform the North East of England into a world-class, regenerative, accessible, inclusive and welcoming destination. A huge thank you to the students from our long term partners, Newcastle College who prepared and served food for more than 30 high profile guests, the service was outstanding and was a real demonstration of our region's commitment to developing the next generation catering and hospitality talent - critical to accelerating our region’s growth potential.

It was fantastic to welcome Sir Chris Bryant and Mayor Kim McGuiness, as well as partners from across the region to Newcastle College for this important discussion. Educators, employers and local stakeholders working in partnership is key to economic success, so this was an excellent opportunity to discuss how we can work together most effectively for the benefit of our region. It was of course made even better by sharing an excellent meal prepared and served by our own students, which was a great example of how Newcastle College develops skilled and talented people who will be at the centre of the region's hospitality and tourism sector.