BLACKPOOL MPs pushed the resort's tourism industry in House of Commons questions on Monday (Jan 19).

Joan Humble, MP for Blackpool North and Fleetwood, probed culture secretary Chris Smith about involving tourism training in the Government's New Deal programme to find work for the young unemployed - particularly important for resorts like Blackpool which rely on seasonal tourist trade.

Mr Smith said he had held a major conference with the tourism and hospitality industries to explain how they could take advantage of the New Deal and the response was positive.

The key to tourism's future was, he said, "high quality, well-trained and well-motivated staff who are decently remunerated. That is the way to get good service and bring the customers back."

Blackpool South MP Gordon Marsden asked tourism minister Tom Clarke about support for promotion of short-term breaks, increasingly important for resorts like Blackpool.

Mr Clarke agreed on the importance of short-breaks and said the issue would be covered in a strategy report from the culture secretary following the outcome of an ongoing tourism forum, to which Blackpool and other seaside resorts would contribute.

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