The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has approved VisitEngland's bid for additional funding from the Regional Growth Fund (RGF).

The £19.8m grant will be used on a three-year project entitled, Growing Tourism Locally, aimed at stimulating economic growth and jobs at a local level

A key part of the project will be a national campaign aimed at promoting domestic tourism and for Britons to take more short breaks and holidays.

James Berresford, VisitEngland's chief executive said: "With this additional money we can mount a serious campaign to stimulate domestic tourism that has the potential to create the equivalent of 9,500 full time jobs in areas across the country suffering economic challenges.

"Our strategy is to work with tourism partners and the private sector at a national and local level. Our partners will manage elements of the campaign pertaining directly to their local destination, whilst VisitEngland will manage the national strategy which will support this local activity. We will work closely with Government on the next stage of the process which determines the terms and conditions of the funding."

Brigid Simmonds, chair of Tourism Alliance, welcomed the announcement and stated that the funding would help the tourism sector, which was already outperforming the rest of the economy.

"While many sectors of the UK economy are struggling, revenue generated by domestic tourism is growing at 13 per cent," she said.

"In approving the bid, the government has recognised the strength of the UK tourism industry and that it has a central role in economic policy."