Calls for the Conservative Party conference to return to Brighton have been welcomed by hotels, businesses, tourism bosses - and even Labour.

The success of the Labour conference this week - which has boosted the town's economy by around £5 million - prompted calls from three Tory Parliamentary hopefuls for their conference to return to Brighton for the first time since 1992.

David Gold (Pavilion), Jenny Langston (Hove) and Geoffrey Theobald (Kemp Town) will raise the issue with party bosses during the annual conference in Bournemouth next week.

The Conservatives used to come to Brighton every other year but after the 1984 IRA bomb and hostile welcoming speeches from Labour mayors, the party switched to Blackpool and Bournemouth.

Brighton and Hove Council leader Lynette Gwyn-Jones said the Conservatives were genuinely welcome to host their conference in Brighton again.

She said: "I am very serious about this. As much effort would be put into making their week an enjoyable one as has been put into the Labour conference this week. We would make sure of it."

Jackie Lythell, Labour councillor and former mayor said: "We would be delighted if the Conservatives decided to return.

"Although there has been some political knockabout, the Conservatives have always had a warm welcome here."

Francis Tonks, another ex-mayor said: "I think the Conservatives should definitely host their conference here. As a conference town we should be non-political. All people participating in the democratic process are welcome here."

Guy Davenport-Strange, policy manager at Sussex Enterprise, believes Brighton should undoubtedly host the Tory conference.

He said: "We have just hosted the biggest political conference in Europe and coped well, so we are definitely still in there.

"As well as the Conservatives, we should be lobbying to get the Liberal Democrats here and doing everything that we can to raise the profile of Brighton."

Amanda Shephard, Brighton and Hove head of tourism, hopes the Tories will be back in Brighton in the very near future.

She said: "We are in regular contact with their conference organiser. We have provisional dates in the diary for the conference stretching into the next decade."

Kevin Berry, conference manager at The Grand Hotel, Brighton, welcomed the call for a Tory return.

He said: "We miss them immensely. As a hotel, we have actively spoken to the Conservatives about this matter over the years. We would love to see them back in Brighton."