MORE all-weather tourist facilities are needed to enable Great Yarmouth to thrive as a resort all year round, according to one of the town's leading entrepreneurs.

MORE all-weather tourist facilities are needed to enable Great Yarmouth to thrive as a resort all year round, according to one of the town's leading entrepreneurs.

Albert Jones, managing director of the Pleasure Beach, said he wanted to see more indoor facilities along the town's seafront, so the tourism industry was not as dependent on trade during the summer season.

He said: “We do need under-cover attractions. At the moment we are so reliant on the weather, but we have had poor weather the last three summers on the trot.”

But he was optimistic about Yarmouth's chances of surviving the economic downturn, especially as there appeared to

be a greater trend for

British holidaymakers to stay at home rather than travelling abroad.

“It is a difficult question to answer, but we are hoping the credit crunch is going to make people take more UK-based holidays. Pontins' bookings are up 20pc on last year, but we can't get complacent so we are cutting prices as a company.”

Mr Jones, who has planning permission to build a £35m casino and leisure complex The Edge on the seafront, was speaking at the launch of the new tourist brochure promoting the Yarmouth borough at Yesterday's World on the seafront.

The great and the good of the town's tourist industry joined borough councillors, including council leader Barry Coleman, and representatives of the Greater Yarmouth Tourist Authority (GYTA) for the launch of the 75-page magazine at the museum on Tuesday.

Alan Carr, the town's chief tourism officer, also expected visitors to choose Britain ahead of foreign holidays in the wake of the credit crunch.

He said the GYTA would use “every penny” of its

marketing budget to promote the borough's tourism facilities, which include 60 hotels and guest houses as well as chalets, self-catering cottages and larger holiday resorts such as Potters at Hopton.

Mr Carr said there were plans to hold two festivals - one called Band Factor in June featuring brass bands and other local bands- while the other would be a motor festival in September.

He was also pleased with

the feedback to the regeneration

of the seafront, and said: “Some

of the comments from visitors

this year have been really

heart-warming and people

have come back to see the changes.”

The GYTA has sent 30,000 copies of the brochure, available free of charge, to tourist offices across the country. The magazine contains information on attractions and accommodation in the borough.