Local, National and International
r ur Yo EE pe a FRwsp
Times
All the news that matters
Ne
Wednesday February 13 | 2019
OF TONBRIDGE
Strictly star adds touch of glitter to business awards ONE of the most popular faces on television and a star of Strictly Come Dancing, Anton du Beke, will be handing out the honours at this year’s Times Business Awards, a gala night that has become one of the leading social and networking events of the year. In the three years since they began, nearly 600 companies and individuals have put themselves forward in ten categories from start-ups to Outstanding Business of the Year.
Treasure Anton du Beke [pictured below] has become a national treasure, having appeared on BBC1’s Strictly since the first series in 2004. He recently released an album, From The Top, in which he sings swing and jazz hits. And the 52-year-old became a father for the first time – to twins – two years ago. In presenting the awards he follows in the footsteps of former politicians Michael Portillo and Edwina Curry and Radio 2 DJ Ken Bruce. The awards ceremony will be held at Salomons in Tunbridge Wells on May 30. Details of the big night and how to enter the awards will be printed in next week’s Times.
2019
GROUND-BREAKING: Trees of Love volunteers plant whips at Longmead with founder Basil John, Mayor Pam Bates and the Tonbridge Police Cadets. See page 4
Big boost to economy as tourists make three million trips in year By Andy Tong andy@timesoftonbridge.co.uk TOURISM is proving to be big business in and around town, bringing in £174million of income according to the latest figures from Visit Kent. The report by the official tourism body shows the value of Tonbridge & Malling’s visitor economy grew by 8.6 per cent in 2017. There were three million trips made to the borough in total in that year, a rise of 7.6 per cent, of which 2.8 million were day trips – up 8.2 per cent – and 200,000 were overnight stays. The success was reflected in employment levels, with an 8.5 per cent increase in the number of jobs supported by tourism (3,427). The industry now accounts for 6 per cent of all employment in the borough, or 3,427 jobs.
Nicolas Heslop, Leader of Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council and Cabinet member for Economic Regeneration, said: “This report is very welcome news and shows that, despite challenging conditions in the industry, tourism in Tonbridge and Malling is making a significant contribution to the local economy.
‘Businesses and residents can continue to benefit from increasing investment’ “We have some fantastic attractions in our borough, such as Tonbridge Castle, Great Comp Gardens and Ightham Mote, as well as an expanding array of great places to dine on Kent produce, and it’s all surrounded by picturesque countryside. He added: “We will be using the data from this
report to help shape future tourism activity to ensure that our borough continues to attract visitors from across the UK and beyond so that local businesses and residents can continue to benefit from the increasing level of investment.” The research is based on the Cambridge Economic Impact Model, a measure widely respected in the industry, which showed that 65million visitors came to Kent two years ago. This boosted the tourism economy by 7 per cent to £3.8billion and sustaining 76,828 jobs – the highest figures ever recorded in the county. Since 2006 the value of Kent’s tourism industry has risen by 33 per cent, and it is the third most popular destination for foreign visitors in the UK outside London. Neighbouring Tunbridge Wells also reaped the
Continued on page 4