Cathedral faces cash-flow crisis

A general malaise in the industry comes in the wake of a series of national and international problems, such as foot-and-mouth disease, the threat of Sars and the fear of terrorism. This drop in visitor numbers has hit the Cathedral especially hard.

Though it has enough "foundation" funds, which are used for restoration work on the mediaeval building itself, its immediate financial prospects look bleak.

"We are struggling to find all the money we require to run the place," said the dean, The Very Rev Peter Marshall.

"The decline in visitor numbers, and therefore donations and gifts, means that recently we have received less money than previously.

"It is expensive to run a cathedral and because of the necessary staff numbers we are facing rising costs, so there is an increasing gap in our finances.

"Like any organisation we have to look at our costs and we have to address any problems."

Mr Marshall said local interest in the Cathedral was actually on the increase, and the slump in visitors reflected the tentative state of international travel.

"We are still suffering from the 9/11 syndrome," he said.

"Worcester as a whole will probably show a drop of around 10 or 20 per cent in the tourist industry and, as we depend on gifts, it makes a big difference.

"However, we are not in turmoil or dire straits and we are not going to go broke. We just want to stop any financial problems as quickly as possible."

Tourism, the county's third largest industry, attracts around 13 million people and £422m to Worcestershire each year, while also generating 15,000 jobs in the region.

And despite last month's scrutiny report, which criticised the marketing of Worcestershire's tourist attractions, the county council is confident the industry will recover.

"There is definitely the potential for growth in the future," said Peter Smith, manager of the council's development and planning team.

"Tourism has been hit by an endless list of national incidents, but I'm sure it will recover."