TOURISM May to pilot Chinese single visas


Te home secretary Teresa May has announced a new pilot scheme enabling Chinese visitors to apply for UK and European visas in a single process. Te move, designed to boost


UK business and tourism revenues from the lucra- tive Chinese market, will see Chinese visitors able to submit online applications for both a British and a Belgian visa at the same time, with a single set of supporting documents. Tis will enable them to roam freely within the EU’s 26-nation Schengen zone and Britain through a single visa application – the first time this has been possible. Announcing the reform, May said: “Tis


Publicly funded tourism development hangs in the balance


KURT JANSON is policy director of the Tourism Alliance


W May said the reform would boost business and leisure visits


scheme will create a one-stop shop for Chinese visitors to the UK and Europe, whether they are coming here for business or leisure.” Te government hopes that the pilot, which


came into effect on 1 July, will help attract thousands more Chinese visitors and a stream of extra revenue for UK tourism companies. Business leaders have long called for such


a system to be brought in, claiming that the excess paperwork of the current system


causes Chinese tourists to shun the UK. Visits from China – a market that tourism agency VisitBritain has targeted with tourism initia- tives – fell 7 per cent in 2014, according to International Passenger Survey statistics. Te British Hospitality Association (BHA)


estimates that the UK loses out on an esti- mated £1.2bn per annum because it attracts far fewer Chinese tourists than major European neighbours. The BHA welcomed the new pilot and said it marks another step in the right direction to drive growth and jobs at a crucial time in the UK’s recovery. Details: http://lei.sr?a=e6M7h_O


Blueprint to boost Shakespeare tourism


Senior tourism leaders have launched a plan to bolster visitor numbers to sites in Shakespeare’s England, ahead of the 400th anniversary of Te Bard’s death next year. Shakespeare’s England –


the tourism organisation for Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwick, Kenilworth, Royal Leamington Spa and sur- rounding areas – recently revealed the region’s first ever destination management plan (DMP) at Kenilworth Castle in front of local tourism stakeholders. Te event, attended by VisitEngland CEO


ith the new government in place, there’s a feeling things are returning to “business as usual” for


the tourism industry. In reality, the future of publicly funded tourism development and promotion has reached a crux and decisions the government will make over the next few months could have profound implications for the next 5-10 years. Te main issue is the outcome of the


ongoing Comprehensive Spending Review. Almost all government departments will likely face significant cuts to their budgets and it is a fairly open secret that DCMS has asked its agencies to outline how they would operate if there was a 10 per cent decrease in their funding for each of the next four years. Tis would mean VisitEngland’s budget would fall from its current £7m per annum to just £4.6m by the next CSR in 2019, while VisitBritain’s would fall from £19.6m to £12.9m. While this looks bad, it must be remem-


bered that the budgets for VisitEngland and VisitBritain have already decreased 47 per cent from £50.4m in 2009-10 to £26.6m in 2015-16. So, overall, the decrease in funding for the two organisations would be 65 per cent over the space of 10 years. If inflation was included, the overall decrease in funding would be around 75 per cent. So when the organisations’ overheads are


(L-r) David Collins, James Berresford and Robin Tjolle at the launch


James Berresford, outlined how local tourism businesses and key stakeholders such as Birmingham Airport can work together to ensure that this intrinsic part of the local economy continues to grow and develop. Shakespeare-themed tourism is big business


for the region, with the latest figures showing that from 2012 to 2013 its value rose 15 per cent to £631m per annum. Furthermore,


© CYBERTREK 2015


more than 11,000 people are employed in the Shakespeare’s England tourism industry. “It’s fantastic Shakespeare’s England has


taken the lead to bring tourism businesses in the area together to create this DMP,” said VisitEngland chief Berresford. “Tese plans are an important part in the development of the local visitor economy and will help ensure that Shakespeare’s England continues to be one of the country’s leading tourist destinations.” Details: http://lei.sr?a=C3m2D_O


Twitter: @leisureopps


removed (these usually account for about half their budget), VisitEngland will have just £2.3m to spend on marketing domesti- cally, while VisitBritain will have just £6.5m to market the UK in more than 20 overseas countries (about £325,000 per market). With that little funding, it will be virtually


impossible for either organisation to under- take meaningful marketing campaigns. To put this level of funding into context, Ireland spent more than the total proposed budgets for VisitBritain and VisitEngland on marketing in the UK last year. Terefore, while the tourism industry


has done well in having John Whittingdale and Tracey Crouch as its ministers, this will account for little if they are not able to provide VisitBritain and VisitEngland with adequate funding.


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