Museums play a vital role in the tourist economy for rural and coastal destinations across Britain, according to the leaders of the UK’s national collections and major regional museums.

A response to MPs leading the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Efra) select committee – which is investigating the role of tourism in rural growth – a joint response by the Museums Association, the National Museum Directors’ Council and the Association of Independent Museums, delivered evidence showing the impact of museums on these areas.

The joint response said that museums in rural areas can make those places attractive to live and work in and bring both direct and indirect employment to an area, as well as drawing in overnight visitors and attracting tourists in both high and low seasons.

The report added that local authority budget cuts meant that these rural attractions were not “assured for the future”, and that such cuts would have a “serious impact on the future vitality” of the museums sector.

In the response, Efra was urged to create a “funding and tax regime which reflects the logistical challenges and day-to-day reality of operating charitable museum enterprises in rural areas”, also recommending changes to infrastructure such as public transport, high speed broadband and signage, to enable museums to maximise their potential and remove any “unnecessary barriers to enterprise”.

The call comes at a time when Britain’s government is hoping to capitalise on a weakened pound through its Tourism Action Plan – a series of new initiatives to help Britain become the choice destination for tourists, welcoming more international visitors than ever before and increasing the number of “staycations” as Brits opt to holiday on home soil.