HAVING just spent a week on holiday in the company of 130-plus frequent travellers from the States, it is clear that our glorious coastline has made little impression on our cousins across the pond.

Unless you are from London, Cambridge, Bath, Stratford or have a house close to Stonehenge, it is probably unlikely that you will appear on the radar of an American taking in the sights of Europe.

Americans love to know where we Brits live and of course, I did everything to convince the people I did meet that Dorset and our wonderful coastal resorts are an unmissable treat next time they come to little old Europe.

And it’s an easy job, especially when you look at the competition across the UK and despite the dodgy weather, we should be heartened that the promise of more visitors did transpire, unlike the Met Office’s much-vaunted barbecue summer.

Having spent a couple of months this year cycling up and down the prom – at just under 10 miles per hour of course – it is clear that today’s proposed revamp of certain sectors of Bournemouth’s coastline could be timely if we are to capitalise on this year’s success and woo back old and new visitors alike.

Bournemouth has to move with the times and while some of the ideas look ambitious in credit crunch Britain, who’s to say that some entrepreneurial spirit isn’t left after many of the tourists have gone?