Officials from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) received a warm welcome from Kent businesses last Friday as they enjoyed a tour around the Garden of England from Visit Kent Chief Executive Deirdre Wells OBE, ahead of the Turner Prize 2019 launch in Margate.
Emma Squire, Director of Arts, Heritage and Tourism and Sam Lister, Director General at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport met with representatives from The Marlowe Theatre, Simpsons Wine Estate, Creative Folkestone and Dover Castle before attending the launch event of this year’s prestigious Turner Prize at the Turner Contemporary gallery.
The group were also joined for lunch at Simpsons Wine Estate by Helen Whately MP, the newly appointed Minister for Arts, Heritage and Tourism, and Member of Parliament for Faversham and Mid Kent.
The day’s packed programme was designed by Visit Kent to cover a range of Arts, Heritage and Tourism interests, and to introduce the DCMS to some of the exciting events, anniversaries and activities that will be taking place throughout Kent next year.
In 2020, Kent will mark a number of milestones and anniversaries including, The 149th Open at Royal St George’s, the Folkestone Triennial, 850 years since the murder of Thomas Becket in Canterbury Cathedral, and the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Britain to name just a few.
Visit Kent Chief Executive, Deirdre Wells OBE said: “It was great to be able to welcome the Minister to Kent so soon after her appointment as Minister for Tourism. With so many exciting businesses in Kent working hard to welcome new visitors to the county - many of whom were kind enough to host the delegation during our whistle-stop tour of the county - it is no wonder that our industry is the UK’s fastest growing service sector.
"We look forward to working with the Minister and the DCMS team in the coming months to build on the excellent growth which we have seen in recent years”
Minister for Tourism, Helen Whately added: "Visit Kent does a fantastic job showcasing the best the county has to offer and attracting visitors from all over the UK and around the world. The huge range of things to visit in Kent are encouraging tourists to venture out of our big towns and cities and spend more time in our stunning countryside."
For more information about Kent, please visit www.visitkent.co.uk