A new £25m seven-point action plan has been launched by regional development agency Advantage West Midlands (AWM) as part of efforts to boost the region's tourism industry.

The plan, which was unveiled at the West Midlands Tourism Summit in Gaydon, Warwickshire, includes £1m for a new television advertising campaign and a £12m initiative to attract conferences, exhibitions and events to the area. A pilot scheme will also be launched in conjunction with the Department for Work and Pensions in a bid to increase skills and tourism employment, while new partnerships will be developed between the region's visitor attractions to offer joint ticket offers.

Regional minister Ian Austin said: "Tourism is our fourth largest industry bringing in £6bn each year to the West Midlands, supporting 115,000 jobs across 30,000 companies. The business tourism sector is worth another £6.8bn on its own. "The downturn is having a real impact and our action plan sets out the real help we're providing to get the industry through the recession, with our first ever TV advertisements, a major campaign to attract more conferences and events and more city-breaks."