It’s nice to see that the pub industry was finally recognised earlier this year when in the Summer, Visit England awarded “the great English pub” the award for outstanding contribution to tourism.

The accolade was given to pubs for:

the integral part they play in the fabric of the English way of life and the opputunity they provide for domestic and international visitors to meet local people and enjoy local foods and drink, including real cider.

Research carried out by Visit England revealed that many visitors from overseas put visiting a pub very high on their list of things to do when holidaying in England. It is estimated that over 40% of overseas visitors, around 13  million people popped into a pub in 2007.

As a result of this Visit England formed a partnership with the pub trade magazine, The Publican to create a research web site innengland.com which lists pubs around the country.

Axe the Beer Tax Logo

It’s a shame not everyone is as supportive. Mr Darling’s continuing actions seem to indicate that he does not agree with the pub being an integral part of English life, due to the very heavy taxes he continues to add to pub products, including cider.