UK: The
Tourism Alliance has
stepped up pressure on government departments to resist cutting
tourism budgets or fail to realise the full benefits of the
Olympics.
The organisation, which represents over 200,000 tourism related businesses in the £134bn UK tourism industry, is concerned that the industry will be held back from spurring future growth for the industry as a result of the next round of the Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR).
The Alliance has outlined in letters to ministers including Secretary of State, Maria Miller, and Prime Minister, David Cameron, the expected fallout of a cut in spending in the tourism industry.
“The reality is that since the Prime Minister’s keynote speech on tourism at the Serpentine Gallery in 2010, the Coalition Programme commitment to ‘take steps to improve the competitiveness of the UK tourism industry, recognising the important part it plays in our national economy’ has stalled”, commented Michael Hirst, Chair of the Tourism Alliance.
According to the Alliance, the industry still suffers uncompetitive levels of VAT on accommodation, attractions and tourism services compared with other European destinations. Meanwhile Air Passenger Duty has increased by 360% since 2007, and the visa process remains a significant problem in attracting important emerging markets to the UK.
“The impact of this failure to address these important issues has been highlighted in a recent World Economic Forum report that now ranks the UK 139th of 139 countries worldwide on aviation taxation, and just 138th on overall price competitiveness due to taxation,” Hirst continues.
The 2012 Olympics and Paralympics, the Royal Jubilee celebrations, supported by elements of the GREAT campaign, still enabled the industry to counter these disadvantages and achieve an increase in tourism expenditure of 6.9% to £134bn last year. This additional £9bn growth will have generated a further 180,000 new jobs in the tourism and hospitality sector – approximately a third of all new jobs generated in the UK last year.
However, with 2012 now behind us, and with tourism budgets threatened by cuts from the CSR, the Alliance is concerned that this growth will quickly fall. “The outstanding reputation that the UK has built over many years, and the massive contribution tourism makes to UK plc, is now severely under threat. Without concerted action by Government to actively encourage visitors to see Britain as a destination that is easy and affordable to visit, we will lose visitor income and fail to realise the full benefits of hosting the 2012 Olympic & Paralympic Games,” concludes Hirst.
The organisation, which represents over 200,000 tourism related businesses in the £134bn UK tourism industry, is concerned that the industry will be held back from spurring future growth for the industry as a result of the next round of the Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR).
The Alliance has outlined in letters to ministers including Secretary of State, Maria Miller, and Prime Minister, David Cameron, the expected fallout of a cut in spending in the tourism industry.
“The reality is that since the Prime Minister’s keynote speech on tourism at the Serpentine Gallery in 2010, the Coalition Programme commitment to ‘take steps to improve the competitiveness of the UK tourism industry, recognising the important part it plays in our national economy’ has stalled”, commented Michael Hirst, Chair of the Tourism Alliance.
According to the Alliance, the industry still suffers uncompetitive levels of VAT on accommodation, attractions and tourism services compared with other European destinations. Meanwhile Air Passenger Duty has increased by 360% since 2007, and the visa process remains a significant problem in attracting important emerging markets to the UK.
“The impact of this failure to address these important issues has been highlighted in a recent World Economic Forum report that now ranks the UK 139th of 139 countries worldwide on aviation taxation, and just 138th on overall price competitiveness due to taxation,” Hirst continues.
The 2012 Olympics and Paralympics, the Royal Jubilee celebrations, supported by elements of the GREAT campaign, still enabled the industry to counter these disadvantages and achieve an increase in tourism expenditure of 6.9% to £134bn last year. This additional £9bn growth will have generated a further 180,000 new jobs in the tourism and hospitality sector – approximately a third of all new jobs generated in the UK last year.
However, with 2012 now behind us, and with tourism budgets threatened by cuts from the CSR, the Alliance is concerned that this growth will quickly fall. “The outstanding reputation that the UK has built over many years, and the massive contribution tourism makes to UK plc, is now severely under threat. Without concerted action by Government to actively encourage visitors to see Britain as a destination that is easy and affordable to visit, we will lose visitor income and fail to realise the full benefits of hosting the 2012 Olympic & Paralympic Games,” concludes Hirst.
