The row over the promotion of Worthing as a holiday venue took a further twist today.

Worthing Council angered hotel owners when it slashed its annual £100,000 tourism budget by half earlier this year.

It allocated £50,000 to the West Sussex Tourism Initiative to set up a strategy for the town.

But the cost of a package of proposals put forward by the initiative will come to £75,900, nearly £26,000 higher than the council had budgeted to spend.

Worthing Council commissioned the initiative to conduct the survey as part of its review of economic development and tourism.

Hoteliers today called on the council to pay out the rest of the £50,000 that was cut to help encourage more visitors to the town.

The proposals put forward by the initiative include producing 50,000 copies of a revamped holiday guide and retaining a poster advertising the town at Victoria Station.

It also wants to advertise in national magazines and newspapers and carry out direct mail campaigns.

Visitors from countries including Germany, the United States and Australia would also be targeted, along with language schools and disabled visitors.

The initiative also wants to develop a Sussex Live website covering Worthing, with a direct internet link to the Tourist Information Centre.

It also plans promotional campaigns involving guest houses, the Worthing Town Initiative, the museum and other towns in the area.

Worthing hotelier Mike Parsons said: "If Worthing is going to be promoted properly, a proper amount of money needs to be spent on it.

"We should go back to the original budget level."

The West Sussex Tourism Initiative will give a presentation of its proposals and its report will be used as a basis for further consultation with businesses, hoteliers and other organisations with an interest in tourism in the town.

The presentation is at the Gordon Room in Stoke Abbott Road at 2pm on July 12.

The council wants comments from businesses, organisations and residents about the proposals, available from the tourism and marketing section of the council and on view at the tourist information centre in Chapel Road and the library in Richmond Road.