'Dome to bring pounds 500m'

THE Millennium Dome at Greenwich could boost overseas tourism revenue in Britain by between pounds 300m and pounds 500m in 2000, according to research by the English Tourist Board published yesterday, writes Colin Brown.

Chris Smith, Secretary of State for Culture, said: "These findings are good news for the British tourism industry. They show that the Millennium Dome will pull large numbers of extra visitors to London and the South East of England en route to the Dome."

The report endorsed previous estimates that the Dome could attract 12 million visits in 2000, and said that transport operators, together with hotels and bed-and-breakfast landlords, would also profit from the extra business generated in London and the South East.