MORE than half-a-million pounds is to be ploughed into Herefordshire's tourist industry.

Regional Development Agency, Advantage West Midlands (AWM), has announced its commitment to provide more than £0.5m for key tourism initiatives in the county.

AWM is keen to nurture small businesses in the tourism sector, to enhance local attractions and to offer guidance and support through a series of initiatives.

The Growing Green Tourism initiative is a four-year scheme of integrated activity to provide high quality, "green" advice and guidance to small businesses.

The aim is to help them grow and increase their productivity and revenue.

The scheme will be managed by Herefordshire Council and administered by Herefordshire Nature Trust.

Herefordshire Council is due to also receive funding to deliver the Tourism Enterprise in Herefordshire initiative, a three-year programme to develop tourism in Herefordshire.

It will concentrate on marketing and product development and community regeneration through tourism investment.

Prosperity

"These tourism initiatives are key to driving forward the economic changes needed to ensure the continued prosperity of this part of the West Midlands," said John Edwards, chief executive of AWM.

"Assisting local businesses so that they are able to grow in a competitive and diversifying marketplace is of paramount importance to the Agency.

"Tourism can be used as an effective tool in regenerating local communities, and with renewed support from local business support organisations, Herefordshire can promote its unique qualities to attract more visitors and encourage longer stays."