A FLEDGLING attempt to relaunch the district's beleaguered official tourism organisation has already hit rocky ground with accusations of an in-house bail-out and lack of consultation.

Lynda Hatch of the Minehead Hotels Association said she believed West Somerset Council was setting up a new tourism partnership simply to rescue moor-based activity group Active Exmoor at the expense of businesses on the coastal strip.

Active Exmoor was set up in 2004 on a three-year remit to boost the number of people involved in healthy outdoor activities on the moor.

But this week, district councillors agreed to pump £37,400 into its coffers after hearing its funding had run out.

And it handed it responsibility for producing a new tourism guide - with the promise of a £24,000 lump sum to cover any "potential deficit" in production costs.

Active Exmoor has also been chosen as one of just four hand-picked partners who together form the Exmoor Tourism Partnership, the successor to the collapsed tourism body Visit Exmoor.

Other members of the partnership are the Exmoor Tourist Association, Exmoor National Park Authority and the district council.

Mrs Hatch told Monday's district council cabinet meeting the partnership appeared to have been set up to protect Active Exmoor and questioned why all the group's £71,400 annual funding had been covered by Somerset-based organisations when a third of the moor was in Devon.

She claimed tourism groups in the coastal areas would lose out on funding as a result of the package given to Active Exmoor and said no one from the tourism industry in Minehead had been consulted about the new partnership.

"Tourism is the lifeblood of this area," she said. "The marketing and promotion of this area is essential, but it has to cover not only Exmoor but the coast as well."

Cabinet members moved to allay her fears and said the partnership would focus on Exmoor as a brand but all publicity materials would cover the whole of West Somerset and the Quantock Hills.

Cllr Doug Ross said he was concerned Minehead hoteliers had not been consulted about the partnership but assured Mrs Hatch the coastal areas of the district would be treated equally with the moorland.

Cllr Kate Kravis said it was vital everyone worked together and consultation would now follow as a deal had been agreed on the future of a tourism brochure for the district.

After discussions behind closed doors, cabinet members awarded the contract to produce a new-look and re-branded tourist guide to Active Exmoor.

They were told Active Exmoor had previously produced its own activities guide for visitors and councillors hoped the contents of the guide and the popular Exmoor Coast and Country brochure could be combined into "one major promotional vehicle".

A statement from the council said Active Exmoor already had a large database of people who had shown an interest in holidaying in the area and the new brochure could expand existing markets and tap into new ones.

Cllr Michael Downes, the council's lead member for tourism, said the partnership and the new guide would "reunite" West Somerset, from the Quantock Hills, the coastal resorts and the national park.

It would also promote the whole area as a quality visitor destination.

He said: "We were able to lay down these foundations through strong partnership working and clear direction, part of which was informed by a recent open workshop for all tourism providers held by the Exmoor Tourist Association and through our Minehead tourism survey."

He said the next stage would be an open meeting for all tourism providers on July 14 to take the project one step further.