Sarah Dines column: I am passionate about showcasing all that our area has to offer

​I was delighted to host a reception in Parliament on behalf of Independent Hostels UK.

The organisation has hostels all over the country and here in Derbyshire Dales too.

I organised this event because I want to showcase that hostels are a fantastic way for people to experience all our area has to offer, but also because there are twice as many independent hostels than there are youth hostels, yet sometimes people seem to overlook them as a place to stay.

We want and need people to holiday in our area because, when they do, our local economy is benefitted and ultimately holidays in the UK are better for the environment than holidays abroad.

Independent hostels increase accessibility by creating a cost-effective solution for people to enjoy prime tourism locations and many support small school groups and faith groups too.

Every summer, I receive a large amount of correspondence from constituents concerned about the increase in visitors and what this means for congestion on our roads.

As annoying as traffic caused by tourists can be, without tourism our local economy would cease to thrive.

I would like to see an increase in public transport used across our area to tackle peak-season traffic and this continues to be part of my ongoing conversations with the county council.

I am pleased that when discussing this with the Independent Hostel members, they mentioned just how many of their visitors arrived by bike or on foot. We need to tackle illegal and inconsiderate parking in tourism hotspots, so please know I am not for encouraging more visitors without thinking of the wider picture, but visitors and tourism managed well is a fantastic thing for our area.

Over 40 hostel members from all over the country, from North Scotland to Kent, Wales to Cornwall and of course Derbyshire, came to the event voice their concerns and hopes for the future. We were honoured to have Lady Victoria Borick, Chair of the Visit England Advisory Board, speaking to us on the importance of hostels for access to our brilliant tourism sector in the UK.

I am passionate about showcasing all that our area has to offer.

Thank you to Lady Borwick and thank you to Sam Oldfield, founder of Independent Hostels UK, for her diligent work in raising the concerns of hostel owners, and Penny Macgregor, copy editor and customer services at Independent Hostels UK, for her help in organising and planning the event.