Tourism Minister and Southport MP Damien Moore visit Pleasureland, Southport Cove, and Funland

Tourism Minister and Damien Moore MP visit Pleasureland, Southport Cove, and Funland

On Friday 18th March, the Tourism Minister, Nigel Huddleston MP, travelled to Southport to meet tourism organisations at the start of English Tourism Week (18-27 March 2022).

Together with Damien Moore MP, the Tourism Minister visited Pleasureland, Southport Cove, and Funland in a show of support for Southport’s vital and vibrant tourism industry.

Last year, Southport was awarded £38.5 million from the Town Deal Fund. This money is being used to regenerate the local area, with proposals including a new Marine Lake Events Centre; the regeneration of Southport Market, which is now open; and a new concept for the planning, layout, and design of Southport Town Centre, known as Les Transformations de Southport.  

The Town Deal is expected to attract hundreds of millions of pounds of private investment, which is now starting to come to fruition.

One of these investments is the £40 million Southport Cove development, which will comprise of a hotel, spa, and 250 metre stretch of beach, creating some 120 new jobs, along with an estimated 150,000 visitors per year.

The Tourism Minister and Mr. Moore visited the Cove development site and discussed with co-founder Tony Howard the plans for the facility and timescales, and the impact that this project will have on the tourism sector in Southport. 

Southport remains a major attraction for many visitors across the country, with events like Royal Birkdale Open, Southport Flower Show, and Southport Air show bringing in millions of people each year.

Damien Moore, MP for Southport, said:“Pleasureland and Funland are Southport icons, and are big draws for people coming to our town for a day trip or on their holidays.

“It has been really difficult seeing the terrible effect that Covid has had on these attractions over the past two years, and so I am proud that as English Tourism Week begins, both sites are once again receiving visitors.

“I am also delighted that our £38.5 million Southport Town Deal is helping breath life back into our town, and in particular has helped make the case for the Southport Cove development to begin. The owners have some really exciting plans for this development, and I can’t wait to see it in its finished form.

“I urge everyone in Southport to celebrate these businesses that make our local area so fantastic not just in English Tourism Week, but year round, as we help build back better from the pandemic and make a success of the Southport Town Deal.”