Businesses in Great Yarmouth have voted in favour of a 'tourism tax' that will see them pay out almost £500,000 every year.

The ballot has given the green light to the Visit Great Yarmouth Business Improvement District (GYTABIA BID) to continue its work for another five years, collecting the money from levy payers and additional income sources.

The funds will be used to pay for the summer fireworks at Hemsby and Great Yarmouth, The Wheels Festival, Great Yarmouth Bowls Festival, the Visit Yarmouth tourism website and the What’s On and Short Breaks guides.

Lyndon Bevan, Visit Great Yarmouth chair, said: “It is wonderful that we now have certainty to continue with our objectives, which are to bring more people to enjoy and explore Great Yarmouth Resort and encourage people to stay longer, come back again and again, visiting more attractions and spending more with local businesses."

Lyndon Bevan, chairman of Visit Great Yarmouth and Asa Morrison, chief executive of Visit Great Yarmouth.Lyndon Bevan, chairman of Visit Great Yarmouth and Asa Morrison, chief executive of Visit Great Yarmouth. (Image: Sonya Duncan) READ MORE: Positive predictions for summer as 7.5m tourists expected to resort

Albert Jones, managing director of the Pleasure Beach, said: “The BID renewal is massive for Great Yarmouth not only for the seafront but all the catchment areas within it.

“This has enabled Great Yarmouth and areas to be at forefront in the country when it comes to tourism and what it has to offer to make the town stand out from the rest."

There have been concerns in the past that the money is spent on projects once funded by the borough council - but Mr Jones said that, without the BID, which was launched in 2014, Great Yarmouth would not be able to compete with other resorts

The money also funds facilities, maintenance and individual projects, including Filby in Bloom and Caister in Bloom, Great Yarmouth seafront decorative lighting and CCTV maintenance.

READ MORE: Boss of the Greater Yarmouth tourism BID to face angry opponents at meeting

The Greater Yarmouth area stretches from north of Hemsby down to Hopton and inland to the Broadland area, capturing Thurne and St Olaves.

Tourism is worth nearly £650 million to the Greater Yarmouth economy and provides more than 13,500 jobs.

Last year, 7.5 million people visited the destination.