People were yesterday urged to spend their Easter holidays in Britain in a drive to help businesses hit by the foot-and-mouth epidemic.
At the same time, the Scottish Tourism Minister, Mr Alasdair Morrison, was forced to defend his decision to holiday in Italy over Easter after reassuring US holidaymakers that Scotland was "open for business".
The tourism industry has been hit hard by the foot-and-mouth outbreak. In Cumbria alone the industry has lost an estimated £750 million sterling since the disease was confirmed in February.
On a tour of Torquay, the British Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, was keen to get the message across that holiday resorts were still open despite the foot-and-mouth outbreak.
"Even in the heart of the countryside, provided people do not go through the livestock parts, they can do the things they always do and enjoy the countryside in the way they should", Mr Blair said.
The president of the National Farmers' Union, Mr Ben Gill, also urged the public to support rural and tourist businesses and said a "balance" had to be found to aid both industries.
The Scottish Conservatives' tourism spokesman, Mr David Davidson, criticised Mr Morrison's decision to holiday in Italy, saying it was "a bit hypocritical". The Scottish National Party's shadow enterprise minister, Mr Kenny MacAskill, insisted that Mr Morrison should be in Scotland during agriculture's "hour of need".
In a statement, Mr Morrison defended his holiday plans, saying he had "done more than anyone" to try to resolve the crisis. He explained that his Easter break had been arranged before the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease.