A CHAMPAGNE and flowers-style approach is needed to woo tourists back following the foot and mouth crisis, members of Okehampton Chamber of Trade were told at a special tourism meeting last week.

Head of business development at South West Tourism Caroline Webster said although the region prized itself on quality, it was special offers and discounts which would entice people back from overseas so they could 'fall in love' with the South West all over again.

'Year after year bad news stories have come out of Britain starting with the egg scare and then swine fever, BSE and now foot and mouth,' she said. 'We also have a reputation for being monumentally expensive which gave us the label "Rip Off Britain".

'This is never going to be a budget location — quality has to be the answer but in order to get people to experience that quality we need to woo them back with champagne, flowers and special offers.'

She said the South West was one of the best environments in the country and in Europe and offered 'gorgeous scenery, good food and friendly people'.

Everyone had such busy lives these days and 'value for time' was important. The region was a prime place for relaxation and people looking for this type of break were 'low impact, high spend visitors'.

Mrs Webster told the meeting that in England the domestic market had gone up by 21 per cent and there had been a growth in stays of one to three nights.

One of the few positive things to come out of the foot and mouth crisis was the realisation of how tourism integrated into all businesses and as a result money had been forthcoming for more marketing.

A 16-page supplement to bring young families to the region, a multi-media campaign to attract a million visitors from America, Australia and European countries, which would result in a £500-million cash injection for the economy, and poster campaigns focusing on nostalgia, relaxation, landscape and walking, were some of the latest marketing projects.

South West Tourism is campaigning for more funding for tourism in England which currently stands at around 20p a head, as opposed to £4 per head in Wales and £5 in Scotland.

Jenny King, of Higher Cadham Farm Guesthouse and Restaurant at Jacobstowe, said one of the main problems affecting the tourist industry in the region was traffic.

'Visitors arriving at 1am is not unusual because the traffic on Friday and Saturday nights can be horrendous,' she said. 'If there is a serious accident on the motorway, lanes can be closed for a minimum of five hours whereas in Europe they get cars off the road and open up roads again as soon as possible.'

Mrs Webster said the traffic situation was a joke and South West Tourism was lobbying the Government to get improvements. In Europe videos were made to record accident scenes but in the UK they still used sketch artists which took longer.

On the issue of the Government wanting fewer signs in the countryside, she said it was a balance between letting the visitor know what the area had to offer and protecting its beauty.

'If we can co-ordinate signage so several attractions appear on one sign rather than loads dotted about that would be better,' she said.

The benefit of having e-mail and the internet were highlighted to chamber members.

A computer was one of things Jenny King bought with a £15,000 grant from the Rural Development Recovery Fund to help businesses affected by foot and mouth crisis.

'She said her website had paid dividends with bookings and enquiries from America, Belgium, Japan and Italy.

'I have had a good increase in my overseas market since I set up the website and it looks like it is going to be a good season.'

Jenny's website also resulted in a feature in a national newspaper supplement over Easter, which has also helped to boost her business.

l See story page 9.