KENT's tourism industry has united to fight back after 9/11, Foot and Mouth Disease and SARS sapped the industry of its lifeblood visitors.

Vicky Pilcher attended the Kent Tourism Conference in Canterbury to find out how tourism chiefs are regrouping and embracing the county's new travel links in their rebranding of the county.

ALL routes lead to Kent.

This was the message from EUJet boss PJ McGoldrick as he addressed delegates at the Kent Tourism Conference.

A packed audience of representatives from the county's tourism industry listened as the airline head echoed other tourism chiefs' rousing speeches on the innovation and opportunity embracing the county.

At the helm of the innovation is the creation of a partnership between the region's key tourist bodies.

The Kent Tourism Partnership Framework will unite members including Tourism South East, Kent County Council, the Kent Tourism Alliance and local authorities to create a single authority and champion for Kent's tourism industry.

Inspired by rises in visitor numbers to the county and growing business investment, tourism chiefs have feel that a unified approach is vital if Kent's £1.2bn tourism industry is to prosper and grow.

Head of Kent Tourism, Fran Warrington, said the new organisation would “simplify existing options, improve tourism services and give the county greater investment and promotional opportunities.”

As a first step towards unity the Partnership will offer tourism businesses membership to the new body and cash raised from membership will be ploughed back into the county.

Ms Warrington said: "From April 1, Kent will have one tourism membership scheme with one payment."

Driving the plan is the Kent Tourism Alliance, the Partnership's marketing arm responsible for raising awareness of Kent as a visitor destination.

Sandra Matthews-Marsh, chief executive of the KTA, told delegates Kent's marketing plan for 2005 would take “Kent on the road” targeting nine overseas exhibitions.

In a move toward more tactical marketing the KTA is also working on ambitious plans to attract the high-spending North American visitors back to the county after fears of terrorism have kept them away.

Closer to home, it will also launch a county awareness campaign to encourage residents to “explore their own backyard”, and further grow the already extensive database it has to encourage visitors to Kent.

But success for this ambitious venture is reliant on partnership and co-operation.

There are those who may sit back and reap the rewards without contributing cash, but the KTA will be hoping they are in the minority.

Bluewater and EUJet have already signed up for membership and Mr McGoldrick emphasised the importance of shared goals.

He highlighted the financial risk EUJet and PlaneStation had taken in moving to Thanet and reminded delegates that, like their own businesses, EUJet's success relied on co-operation from others. "Partnership is the way forward in Kent," he said.

And reiterating the company's slogan, "If you are going to Kent, fly to Kent", McGoldrick said the airline had invested heavily in Kent promotional campaigns at destination airports, as well as distributing 100,000 email postcards encouraging travellers not only to spend their money with the airline, but with Kent as well.

"We all have an opportunity to promote Kent," Mr McGoldrick concluded, "but opportunity only knocks once."