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Isle of Wight Radio can reveal that the Isle of Wight has missed out on a potential £1m boost to its tourism industry.
The Isle of Wight Council had bid for the money from the government's £24m Coastal Communities Fund to support coastal communities.
The local authority wanted to use the money to set up a fund that local tourist businesses and hoteliers could apply for, to help update and refurbish their buildings.
Six schemes across England have been successful in their applications, with Bournemouth Borough Council securing the biggest award of £2m to set up Europe's first National Coastal Tourism Academy.
Others include the National Lobster Hatchery in Padstow, Cornwall, which will receive £150,000 to support sustainable lobster fishing in the region.
The Isle of Wight Council is expected to explore other ways of securing funding for the tourism industry, and the government is due to increase the amount of money on offer through the fund next year.
John Metcalfe, deputy director for the economy and environment, said: “We submitted an application for a £1 million project to support the development of the Island’s tourism industry which would see us creating a grant aid scheme to allow businesses to invest in their own facilities – this would contribute to the Island’s overall appeal as a leading British holiday destination and create a number of new employment opportunities. We were disappointed not to be successful with the bid and are continuing to explore funding opportunities to support this project. The successful recent award of nearly £4 million from the government’s Department for Transport for green transport and tourism schemes on the Island demonstrates how we do pursue funding opportunities to benefit our holiday industry.”
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