THE Choose Suffolk Tourism Partnership has launched a simplified membership scheme as it strives to involve more tourism businesses in the wider development of the sector.

The new structure is designed to reflect the needs of its widespread membership, comprised of a wide variety of the county’s tourism businesses and services.

Members of the scheme have access to such activities as high-profile marketing campaigns across a broad range of platforms, a profile within the county’s official tourism site – www.visitsuffolk.com – campaign support for attracting day and staying visitors, networking events and the latest tourism statistics.

Choose Suffolk tourism manager Alex Paul said: “In the last year, we’ve had many successes across these activities, from our comprehensive advertising campaign on the London Underground network, to our Suffolk Breaks and Great Days Out campaigns. Such campaigns have helped to bring an additional spend of �1.75m to Suffolk, and we’re determined to keep building on these successes in 2010 and beyond.”

The Choose Suffolk Tourism Partnership hosts a number of dedicated tourism roadshows and networking events with partners in the sector, including its annual tourism conference, Destination Suffolk, held in March.

“These activities are a great way for local businesses to learn best practice from a membership of over 500 other tourism operators and keep up to date with the latest innovations in a fast-moving industry,” said Mr Paul.

“Tourism is becoming increasingly important to the county’s economy, both through generating revenue and providing employment. The Choose Suffolk Tourism Partnership continues to play a major role in how the sector develops in the county, and the Partnership is a great way for Suffolk’s tourism providers to get involved with its wider development while gaining real benefits for their own business.”

Choose Suffolk chief executive Celia Hodson said: “We are Suffolk’s only pan-county organisation that is charged with its promotion as a tourism destination. Our membership scheme offers a wide range of services and opportunities to the tourism sector that can bring real benefits to any business, large and small.”

The tourism sector is recognised as one of the county’s key economic drivers, contributing an annual �1.63billion to the Suffolk economy as well as being its biggest employer. Visit www.suffolktourismpartnership.org.uk to find out about the scheme.