This week we celebrated tourism week across the country and at a time where we are beginning to relax restrictions and open up society, it is important that we get out and support our local hospitality, leisure and tourism businesses.
We are currently unable to travel to the exotic destinations many of us often chose to visit for our summer holidays. That doesn’t mean to say we are unable to enjoy ourselves this summer. We can use it as an opportunity to ‘holiday at home’ and enjoy some of the fantastic local attractions, bars, eateries and businesses on our doorstep.
I recently visited one of our amazing Greene King pubs, the Kings Arms in Haughley. It was fantastic to speak with staff and customers about the return of hospitality and how best to support the industry going forwards. The food and atmosphere were fantastic, and it was so nice to be in a sociable setting once again. We are so lucky to have such a range of pubs, cafes, restaurants and bars in our area, and I would thoroughly recommend getting out and trying as many as you can over the coming glorious Suffolk summer nights.
A holiday at home is not complete without a visit to one of our many local attractions across the Bury St Edmunds constituency. Whether it is a visit to the Theatre Royal, the Abbey Gardens, Abbeygate Cinema or the bustling high street in Bury St Edmunds, or the Regal Cinema, Museum of East Anglian Life and Needham lakes in Mid Suffolk. I was lucky enough to visit the newly refurbished Regal cinema in Stowmarket last week and was extremely impressed by the works carried out. It is now a state-of-the-art facility, with two new auditoriums, an expanded foyer, a new and bigger café and a brand new bar. It is a fantastic venue for Stowmarket and one I hope we can use as a springboard to improve the town centre and make it an attractive destination for both residents and visitors.
I would like us to share our offerings with even more visitors as we open up following the pandemic. With our proximity to major cities such as London, Cambridge and Chelmsford we have a lot to offer visitors from near and far. Tourism brings jobs and investment. It complements our first-class hospitality sector and shows our wonderful towns at their best. Let’s continue to work together to support these vital sectors of our economy and help them build back better following the pandemic.
