WHITBREAD, the hotels, restaurants and leisure group, is shrugging off the tourism crisis and creating 90 jobs in the county. The company with a string of well-known brands such as Travel Inn, Marriott Hotels, Beefeater, Brewer’s Fayre, Pizza Hut, Costa and David Lloyd Leisure, is pumping £6 million into Kent.

It is part of a £22m investment programme across the south east. Despite the economic downturn, worsened by the terrorist atrocities on September 11, Whitbread says it has continued confidence in the Kent and Medway economy.

Its latest investments in the county include a £2 million Brewers Fayre in Broadstairs, creating 60 jobs; and a £1.3m expansion at the Travel Inn in Folkestone. Whitbread now operates 16 Travel Inns in Medway and Kent.

The company is also opening a new restaurant in Sevenoaks specialising in Asian food.