Tory conference boosted region's economy by £1m
THE visit of more than 1,000 Conservative Party members earlier this month boosted the North-East economy by about £1m, tourism bosses have said.
About 1,500 people attended the Conservative Party Spring Forum, held at The Sage Gateshead on March 14 and 15, staying in Tyneside hotels and eating at quayside restaurants.
It was the first time in a generation the Tories had held such a high-profile conference in the North-East and put the region in the national media spotlight.
Many delegates travelled hundreds of miles to attend the event and organisers say they went away with an overwhelmingly positive impression.
Stephen Ellis, who travelled from Staffordshire, said: "I fell in love with the place and the people - both so warm and welcoming.
"The place felt like home. I have never been to NewcastleGateshead before but I'm definitely coming back.
"I loved it from the moment I arrived to the moment I left. It was a real shame I have to leave."
Jessica Roberts, head of business tourism at NewcastleGateshead Convention Bureau, said: "Hosting an event of this calibre is a fantastic coup for us and a testament to the growing reputation we have as one of the UK's leading business destinations.
"As well as bringing in a £1m immediate boost to the local economy and supporting local businesses, the region's tourism market has also benefited as we believe many delegates will return with families and friends in the future for leisure breaks."
Conservative Party chairman Caroline Spelman MP said: "We are delighted that we brought our Spring Forum to NewcastleGateshead.
"It was a bold, inspired decision by our party to venture to a new location and we couldn't have found a more accommodating and welcoming venue than The Sage Gateshead."
The Labour Party held its spring conference at The Sage Gateshead in February 2005.
3:21pm Thursday 27th March 2008
Print 
Email this 
Comment
What are these links for?
If you liked this article and would like to share it with others on the web who might be searching for good content we've made it easy for you to do it.
At the bottom of all articles, you'll see links to six sites. These sites - commonly called 'social bookmark' or 'social news' sites - have large communities of web users who share and rate interesting, useful and fun things on the web.
Clicking the links will automatically add the address of the story you are reading to one of these sites, letting you share it with others. Each site will ask you to register to share stories. Registration is free and once a member, you can store, recommend and search for stories that interest you.
More on Digg
More on del.icio.us
More on Furl
More on reddit
More on NowPublic/
More on Yahoo!
