bandbnews.co.uk | 5 The FSB Column


Red Tape – and Regional Tourism Support


The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) is concerned that small tourism businesses are undervalued and being subject to an ever growing amount of regulation from Whitehall. Our tourism businesses are some of the best in the world and offer huge potential to boost growth for the UK yet they are being stifled by red tape and unnecessary regulations. Overzealous health and safety inspections, bureaucratic licensing requirements and heavy handed fire regulation enforcement hinder the growth and profitability of B&Bs, hotels and tourist attractions alike.


FSB has been pushing for a cross- departmental review of regulations that negatively affect the tourism industry and whilst we welcome the “Red Tape Challenge” initiative and Alan Parker’s Taskforce, we will wait to see if the review really delivers. The FSB believes it is essential that responsibility for tourism is passed to a government department with real clout.


The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills should take full control of tourism including the implementation of a national tourism strategy, responsibility for setting growth targets for the sector and take a proactive role in monitoring how regulation and guidance, which stems from other government departments, effects the sector.


The FSB knows that marketing is key for successful tourism businesses, which is why we are so concerned about the future of regional tourism marketing. Funding for regional tourism marketing is disappearing and this is likely to have severe consequences for local tourism businesses.


The FSB is lobbying government to reinstate this funding to ensure every region gets to promote itself at a national level.


The FSB wants to make local government work with local tourism businesses. Attracting tourists to an area should mean more local prosperity but for too many local authorities an increase in tourism means more money that will have to be spent on cleaning pavements, maintaining beaches and disposing of rubbish.


The FSB is campaigning for local authorities to be rewarded for stimulating tourism growth in their areas.


The above are just a few of the issues that affect small tourism businesses which the FSB is raising at the heart of government – why not add your voice by joining the UK’s leading business organisation. For more information visit www.fsb.org.uk


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