The explosion of the internet has completely transformed the way consumers research and book holidays


Domestic tourism has seen a boost, but the balance of payments deficit in tourism is a real problem for the UK


grew faster than their visitor num- bers. Admission charges outstripped infl ation at private sector attractions that now fi nd it hard to compete with their grant-aided, charitable, Lottery- supported competitors and with free national museums.


The seemingly inexorable growth in tourism demand has tempted gov- ernments to tax tourism, often citing climate change. Air passenger duty is deterring inbound visitors but keep- ing the Brits at home and boosting domestic tourism. Destinations in the developing world are losing vital income. The richest tourists aren’t diverted by ‘rationing by price’, but wealth alone must not determine who can travel; since global and European migration, many need to do so for domestic and social reasons. Popular destinations have already reached capacity at peak times, yet the mass population countries (including China and India) have hardly begun to travel. For 30 years the industry’s focus has been on promotion. In future it will increasingly be on selectively managing tourism fl ows, distinguish- ing between ‘good’ tourism, which


ISSUE 1 2011 © cybertrek 2011


KEN ROBINSON Ken Robinson is an independent tourism advisor. He was appointed chair of the Tourism Alliance in September 2009. He has worked within the industry since 1969 and has been a board member of national and regional tourist boards as well as CEO of Leisure, Recreation and Tourism Ltd and its subsidiary Ventures Consultancy Ltd. A former chair of the Tourism Society and chairman of the Visitor Attractions Forum, he was awarded a CBE for services to tourism in 1997.


benefi ts destinations, and ‘bad’ tour- ism, which is unsustainable or harms host communities. A growing hazard for international travel is disruption by shocks and deterrents of all kinds: including volcanic ash, bird fl u, terror- ism and war. In response, borders are tightened, restrictions implemented and tourists stay away.


THE ROLE OF GOVERNMENT


For 30 years, British governments have failed to appreciate the poten- tial of tourism and have repeatedly cut budgets as global competition has intensifi ed. A positive tourism balance of payments in 1980 had become a £20bn defi cit by 2008/9. In 1980 the British Tourist Authority was running most overseas marketing and, as ever, winning prizes among its peers from competitor countries. Over recent years Britain’s over- seas marketing has fragmented and weakened. Labour’s devolution has, since 2000, diverted more money into tourism, but destroyed cohe- sion. To boost regionalism, Labour created the Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) and abolished


England’s national board. Scotland and Wales chose to increase sepa- rate tourism marketing, as did Mayor Ken Livingstone in London. The Regional Tourist Boards in England had since the 1970s been success- ful public-private partnerships between businesses and local authorities, but they were killed off by the RDAs who appointed new delivery partners. This hasn’t ‘mainstreamed’ tourism into economic activity, as anticipated, so with the imminent axing of the RDAs, many grant-sustained destination bod- ies are threatened, expertise is being lost and tentative networks are being destroyed. Nobody knows whether the new Local Enterprise Partnerships will prioritise tourism, or act collectively with destinations and VisitEngland, as is essential for the industry to thrive. My personal high point of the past 30 years has been working in such a dynamic sector. My greatest disap- pointment is not yet having persuaded senior politicians of the role they and public funding must play to realise tourism’s economic, social and cul- tural benefi ts. But we owe it to future generations, never to give up. ●


Read Leisure Management online leisuremanagement.co.uk/digital 45


PHOTO: ISTOCK.COM/©; JACOB WACKERHAUSEN


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