THE scrapping of the Northumbria Tourist Board must not be allowed to hamper the promotion of tourism to the region, said George Cowcher, chief executive of the North East Chamber of Commerce (NECC).

"We must make certain that the process of replacing the 1,600 member tourist board with a new organisation - led by regional development agency One NorthEast - does not stand in the way of the recovery the industry is making following the foot-and-mouth crisis," he said.