TORBAY is to consider dropping its current identity and describing itself to residents and visitors as the English Riviera.

The idea was warmly backed by a meeting of the tourism industry which is being recommended to take the reins of the multimillion business and set up a private/public sector partnership to run it.

And Torbay mayor Nick Bye said if the council agrees, he would be happy to be known as the mayor of the English Riviera — and rename the entire council.

The Herald Express can also reveal a late night 'closed door' meeting took place in the chief executive's office to discuss brand issues in the Bay. Among the things on discussion was how to take the Bay 'up a league' led by Elizabeth Raikes.

At the presentation of the new draft tourism strategy at the Imperial Hotel yesterday it was recommended that the Bay retain the English Riviera brand as research showed it was well known among visitors and non-visitors.

This led chairman of Babbacombe and St Marychurch Traders and Hoteliers Association Arthur Christian (pictured) to ask: "What would people think of changing the name of Torbay to the English Riviera? My view is it would help to help to focus everybody's minds and give a high profile to the whole process of change we are going through."

Environment commissioner Charles Uzell said the strategy was strongly based on the findings of research with visitors and non-visitors.

He had had doubts about the strength of the English Riviera name but had been convinced by those research findings.

He said: "Everybody in the room will have an emotional attachment to Torbay in a different way, but we have to base our decision on the evidence.

"It is a question we do need to debate, and an incredibly interesting one."

He said they would use the results of the show of hands at the meeting as part of that evidence, but he did not think it should hold up progress on implementing the tourism strategy.

Mayor Bye said he would be prepared to rename the council if it was agreed by members.

"I would be up for this basic re-branding," he said.

He recalled that the then Communities Secretary Hazel Blears, responsible for local government, had thought Torbay was near Bournemouth.

Mr Bye said: "I have discussed this with chief executive Elizabeth Raikes and we are perfectly capable of changing our title as a place if that's what members want."

Some in the audience pointed out Torbay is not on any maps nor is it on satellite navigation maps. It has also been removed from road signs in favour of the town names.

Tor Bay refers to the bay itself and Torbay was created when the three town councils merged into the new county borough in the late 1960s.

The English Riviera brand was created, along with the palm tree image, by the tourist board in the 1980s and won several industry awards. It includes the names of the three towns on the posters and adverts.

Tourism strategy consultant Carolyn Custerston, who has agreed to be project director for the strategy and new tourism company for the next 18 months, said interviews with non-visitors in Birmingham and Reading show Torbay 'meant nothing to them'.

And a self catering operator said talking about Torbay to potential visitors was 'completely worthless'.

But website expert Chris Postlethwaite warned dropping the word Torbay would be a 'big mistake'.

He said national press first refer to Torbay and then the individual town, for example with the Paignton swine flu case.

"People have got used to the word Torbay," he said. "We have a tourism brand, but we live in the Torbay area."

However a show of hands at the meeting of around 150 industry representatives was overwhelmingly in favour of dropping the name completely. Only a handful wanted to see the name retained.

A question mark was also raised over the palm tree logo but Mrs Custerson said their research had shown it was seen as a symbol of warmth, sun and sand.

"If the visitors say keep it then that is who we have got to listen to, though we could do something with it," she said.

But she emphasised it was important the whole resort should support the agreed brand, which should be copyrighted, developed and controlled by the new tourism company.

This company could be paid for by a business improvement district with funds raised through an extra levy based on tourism businesses' rateable value.

While Torbay Council has committed itself to supporting financially the new English Riviera tourism company, there are warnings that town hall spending is and will be under pressure.

The council could not say how much such a rebranding exercise could cost.

A spokesperson for Torbay Council said: "This is one of a number of suggestions which has recently been made following recommendations in the draft Tourism strategy that we should build on the English Riviera brand name. Futher discussions are needed to determine if this is achievable and to weigh up how much it would cost against the potential benefits it would bring to the Bay."

Feedback from the tourism industry and the public is now being welcome and will be incorporated into the draft strategy before Torbay Council is requested to adopt the document in September. The findings are available on the tourist board website www.englishriviera.co.uk