TravelMole’s Graham McKenzie tries to get an answer from the Tourism Minister, but like all politicians, he’s a hard nut to crack.
"Tourism Minister John Penrose was somewhat tight lipped about the changes to APD that everyone is expecting to be announced in the budget statement next week.
"I have made clear my concerns about the tax and those of the industry," said Penrose in an exclusive TravelMole interview on the way to the Best of Britain and Ireland exhibition in Birmingham yesterday.
When pressed what those concerns might be, all he would say was: "That we all have issues with it, but I can’t tell you any detail otherwise George Osborne would tread on my tender parts from a great height." It was a comment he repeated at the Tourism Society’s debate later in the morning.
Some observers felt that anybody who is charged with an increase in domestic tourism may indeed welcome a ‘no change’ scenario from the Chancellor.
A weak pound, Will and Kate’s wedding, the Olympics and the Queens Jubilee, plus an increasingly expensive tax bill to pay to leave the country is an ideal scenario for UK tourism, some would argue.
What about another of the Government’s major cornerstones ‘The Big Society’? This somewhat nebulous concept was indeed a policy supported by the Minister.
"We feel that at a local level many private enterprises should be more fully involved with running and organising the DMOs. Only in this way can we ensure that all parties are working together for the benefit of tourism as a whole and we will help and encourage those that wish to pursue this route," he said.
"In addition we will be launching a Red tape task force. I and my colleagues wish to know all the things that prevent the tourism industry, the bottom to the top, from doing a more efficient job in running their businesses."
If your tourism business is dependent upon outbound as well as inbound tourism, APD may be top of the list.
