Ad campaign to boost tourism

Tourism has been badly hit by restrictions

By BBC News Online's political correspondent Nick Assinder.

Ministers are to launch a major public information campaign to try to persuade people that foot-and-mouth disease has not closed the countryside.

The truth is, the countryside is not closed

Prime Minister's spokesman

The government has become increasingly worried about the effect the farms crisis is having on the tourist and associated industries.

Plans are now being drawn up for an advertising campaign to give people clear information about which areas are disease- free and where they can and cannot visit.

Environment minister Michael Meacher, heading a rural task force, is meeting key groups including local authorities and the waterways board to urge them to lift restrictions in areas where they are not needed.

And Culture minister Janet Anderson is to visit the United States to appeal to would-be tourists to come to Britain.

Janet Anderson will take message to US

The campaign has boosted speculation that the government is determined to go ahead with the general election on 3 May and is eager to see some sort of normality returning to large areas of the country.

Open for business

Details of the planned advertising campaign emerged after Prime Minister Tony Blair held a 75 minute meeting with Agriculture minister Nick Brown and Mr Meacher.

The prime minister's official spokesman said ministers were keen to ensure that areas of the country unaffected by the disease should not have needless restrictions imposed on tourists and visitors.

People still needed to keep clear of farms and livestock but there were plenty of other countryside activities, restaurants, pubs and so on that were not affected by the crisis, he said.

Urging the media to act responsibly he added: "The truth is, the countryside is not closed.

"There are clear guidelines agreed with the NFU and others about what people should and should not do and which areas are not affected.

Holiday bookings

Visitors should avoid farms

"Michael Meacher is meeting local authorities and the waterways board because we need to look at some of the restrictions to see if they are all really necessary.

"In large parts of the country there is no problem.

"This is an important time because people are making Easter and summer holiday bookings."

The tourism industry has been badly hit by the crisis with hoteliers and the catering industry suffering from thousands of cancellations.

Ministers are clearly concerned that the crisis will now start to affect summer holiday plans and could intensify the crisis.

The advertising campaign will initially be limited to the UK but it is likely it will quickly be extended to Europe and the United States from where Britain draws the majority of its tourists.

But it is also plain that the government wants to calm the situation where at all possible in time for the 3 May local elections.

Inevitably that has added to the speculation that a general election will be held on the same day.

Mr Meacher and others have already said that to cancel the local polls would send a disastrous signal to the world that Britain was closed for business.