UKinbound has reacted angrily to claims by the Government that it should be responsible for marketing the UK in the run up to the 2012 Olympics.
Last October, the Department of Media, Culture and Sport cut funding to VisitBritain by one fifth. The move came despite a Government-backed report that said the London Games could generate tourism revenue of up to £1.2 billion, but only if sufficient resources were allocated to the event.
This week, a DCMS spokesman re-iterated its stance by saying: “By securing the 2012 Games for Britain, we have provided a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our tourism industry. It is now up to the industry to make the most of the Games.â€
But UKinbound chief executive Stephen Dowd said the DCMS was misguided.
“DCMS is being characteristically disingenuous in claiming they were responsible for securing the 2012 Games for London but arguing that tourism businesses should be responsible for destination marketing shows just how little the department responsible for tourism really understands the industry.
“The tourism industry, the majority of which is made up of small businesses, simply does not have the capacity or the expertise for the international marketing of the UK as a tourism destination. This should be centrally co-ordinated and undertaken by the national tourist board, which is the only viable and indeed best-practice model that is used by the world’s top tourism destinations, and the UK should be no different.
“The Government must really understand that infrastructure will not boost tourism on its own. If the world is unaware of the fantastic facilities here in the UK, then they will simply not come and visit.â€
