Gordon ('the recession's not my fault Gov') Brown attempted to promote British tourism last week with a hastily organised summit in Liverpool encouraging us to weather the economic downturn by choosing a domestic rather than overseas holiday. Why it takes a recession for Brown to realise the value of UK tourism is puzzling. It is after all our fifth biggest industry, worth around £115bn and the UK remains the sixth most attractive destination in world.
This is, however, despite the Labour Government, not because of it. Our share of international tourism has declined by 10 per cent since Labour came to power.
If this was not bad enough, the infra-structure to support and promote British tourism is a confused, overlapping, competing and costly group of QUANGOs; a result of 4 nations, 9 regions, 70 counties and over 300 local authorities following often quite separate agendas. The absence of any co-ordinated approach is reflected in the fact that there are six different UK offices in Boston, Massachusetts promoting different parts of Britain.
In Parliament itself, the tourism industry has no champion promoting its interests or fighting its corner. There is no dedicated Tourism Minister or annual debate on the subject. Yes, some tourism issues are covered by Department of Culture, Media and Sport but in reality, the smallest department in Government has little influence over some of the major decisions affecting the industry. For example burdensome B&B fire regulations were introduced by the Dept for Communities and Local Government, and the Home Office doubled the cost of UK visas doubled last year without any consultation with the DCMS.
The state of our tourism industry is summed up in Visit Britain's latest report which says "Tourism is the hidden giant in the British economy. Without government support this industry will continue to punch below its weight." Rather than just passing comment, Gordon Brown must wake up to the significance and potential of tourism.
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