The Government has confirmed it will deliver a landmark sector deal for the UK tourism industry to attract more domestic and overseas visitors and help drive major economic growth.
Speaking to the Tourism Industry Council, made up of leading members of the tourism industry and government, the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Jeremy Wright confirmed the Government will begin negotiations with the sector on an ambitious Industrial Strategy sector deal that will benefit the whole country.
As part of this process, he called upon the industry to respond with a renewed commitment to promote its offer throughout the year, not just in the peak summer months, and increase high-quality, well-paid jobs.
The sector has been asked to look at the key themes of making tourism and hospitality a career for life; making the UK the most accessible tourism industry in the world; sharing industry data to identify growth opportunities in new and emerging markets; and increasing accommodation capacity.
The announcement follows an initial proposal submitted by tourism industry leaders, led by British Tourist Authority chairman Steve Ridgway
It also comes as the Government marks one year since the launch of its modern Industrial Strategy, which aims to boost productivity by backing businesses to create good jobs and increase the earning power of people throughout the UK with investment in skills, industries and infrastructure.
Jeremy Wright said: "The tourism industry is one of the UK’s most successful exports. Every time a leisure or business traveller chooses to visit, it brings investment in our economy and supports jobs across the country. But we are in a competitive global market and we need to be ambitious to maintain the fantastic growth we have seen in recent years.
"I want to make sure that we continue to attract visitors to all parts of the UK throughout the year, who are welcomed by a highly-trained and highly-motivated workforce.
"A sector deal is a way to deliver this, and the industry have put forward some strong ideas to Government. We are ready to formally negotiate on a deal which can boost productivity in this crucial sector."
"I want to achieve the best deal possible for tourism and know that the industry will respond with renewed energy to achieve this."
Annual statistics released in July revealed that a record-breaking 39.2 million visits were made by overseas tourists to the UK in 2017, with the latest domestic tourism figures showing that residents across Great Britain took a total of 120.7 million overnight visits to destinations in England, Scotland and Wales in 2017.
The Secretary of State also challenged the tourism industry to use the sector deal negotiations as an opportunity to deliver more collaborative data sharing with VisitBritain, around visitor figures, behaviours and audience analysis.
This is to help take a more strategic approach to promotional activity and a more united approach to environmental protection.
